The Doctor's Battle
by BecauseCrazyWasTaken
Summary: After the events in Mercy, the Doctor falls ill and is unable to contain his darker side, thus the Dream Lord is released. Now it's up to Amy, Rory and a weakened Doctor to save the victims of the Dream Lord, namely the Doctor's past companions including Martha, Mickey, Jack, Donna and Rose. The Dream Lord is playing a game and it's all about not losing your mind. Can they do it?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Well, this is new for me. I guess I got a moment of inspiration from last week's episode of Doctor Who. So, this episode takes place straight after the events of 'A Town Called Mercy,' so nothing of 'The Power of Three' will be mentioned for obvious reasons. There's going to be a lot of Doctor!Whump and most of the companions will probably be harmed both mentally and physically throughout this story. Read with caution, there will be some dark themes including some Dark Doctor. I hope you enjoy and make sure to review! x

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**_The Doctor's Battle_**

**_Chapter 1_**

Amelia Pond - fiery red head and current companion of the Doctor – leant her full body weight on the silver railings that outlined the TARDIS console room. She stared blankly at the main console unable to make a sound, she couldn't bring herself to. She was the girl who waited, but now she was growing impatient or no… maybe it wasn't impatience. Maybe it was worry. She blinked once and then twice, but the tears were already flowing. She had no time to stop. She just stared.

Rory Williams - the last centurion who had almost given in to having the Doctor constantly calling him Pond – stood next to his wife. He knew how she must have been feeling and even though he knew it would be easy to fall into a state of disbelief, the inner nurse in him said different.

He really should have seen the signs; after all, he'd spent his entire career doing so. Being ever vigilant. Maybe it was because the Doctor was a Time Lord, maybe he just hadn't considered the possibility that he could even... Still, the change in personality, the way that he had gone against his entire system to put someone to justice. He had a darkness lurking inside of him and up until then, Rory hadn't realised just how dark it was. He had understood the Doctor's reasoning, of course he had. Save an entire town from the Gunslinger by sacrificing one awful war criminal. Not hard.

But then the Doctor had pulled the gun and it had all fallen apart. Rory had seen it in Amy's eyes first. She'd realised what being alone did to the Doctor. He'd told them the stories, and maybe they should have listened harder, because what he had done in his past wasn't pretty. He'd sacrificed so much for the greater good. The Doctor told the two companions about Jex and what he had said before he died. The story of how his soul would carry every single person he had wronged up a mountain. The Doctor had recited the story with such distaste… it didn't take a genius to figure out he was thinking about himself. Twelve hundred years of sacrifice, twelve hundred years of mercy. And then just five seconds with a war criminal and all that mercy evaporated. As if it never existed.

Suddenly, the TARDIS made another unhealthy groan which effectively pulled both Rory and Amy out of their shared memories. They both glanced up at the same time as the TARDIS groaned again. It wasn't the usual groan that the couple were used to, no; this was much, _much _worse. The Doctor and the TARDIS were connected and the couple really didn't want to go into details on _how, _but those two had been together for just under a millennia and that was enough for the two companions to believe it. Now the TARDIS could feel everything the Doctor felt and in return the Doctor could feel the TARDIS. The couple winced as the next groan was accompanied by a noise that reverberated from somewhere deep within the TARDIS. A loud cough coupled with a low, tired moan. Somewhere in the TARDIS the Doctor lay incapacitated and Amy and Rory could do nothing about it.

"This isn't right," Rory said, after what felt like an eternity of silence, "we need to do something."

"Like what?" Amy asked tiredly, she'd almost given up with fighting. She just wanted all of this to end so she could get her raggedy Doctor back, "We tried, Rory, but what did he do? What did that stupid, _stupid _loon do?" she gritted her teeth and sucked in a pained breath, "he went off, claiming he could take care of _himself." _She shook her head in distaste as her eyes fell back to the floor, "but he can't. And what's worse is even now the TARDIS is hiding him or whatever," she waved a dismissive hand and shook her head, "like we'd only make things worse."

"He was burning up, Amy." Rory tried to argue, but he knew it was useless, "I… I should have seen it. He just wasn't acting himself back in Mercy. Like he'd… I don't know."

"He knew the rules," Amy said carefully, "he knew what he was doing was wrong and I was so _afraid _he wasn't going to stop."

"We have to help him, I don't know how but I can't just _stand _here and do nothing!" Rory roared as he moved away from the rails and walked towards the staircase.

Amy watched him disappear as a few more tears dribbled from her eyes and down her cheek, "Rory!" she called weakly before letting out a stifled sob. She rolled her eyes at her stupid faced husband as he made his way down the hallway. "The TARDIS won't show you the way, she never does…"

Amy couldn't get the images of the day previously out of her head. She and Rory had resolved to go home, but just minutes after they had boarded the TARDIS, they noticed the Doctor wasn't acting like himself. He stumbled slightly as he strode around the console and his breathing seemed faster and harder than usual. Amy had originally wondered if the Doctor's outburst in their latest adventure had taken a toll on him, and maybe it had, but even when they were in Mercy he'd been leaning against things more often, rubbing at his head… _yawning. _Whatever tiredness had overcome him had done wonders for his personality. He'd been so angry with Jex, even angrier than he had been with the Daleks back in Winston Churchill's bunker. Amy couldn't disagree with his reasons for hating Jex, but that day the Doctor's dark side shone through. He did such a good job to hide it most of the time, but the way it had so easily slipped through his defences…

_Mercy._

The Doctor's dark side had no mercy.

Rory had realised that the Doctor was feverish. He had been flushed and panting and although Rory had to more or less wrestle the Time Lord to get a feel of his forehead, he had felt the Doctor's skin and knew something wasn't right. From the books Rory had read in the TARDIS library, a Time Lord's normal temperature was significantly cooler than a Human's. He guessed it was why the Doctor's skin always felt so cold compared to his and maybe also why he seemed unaffected by extreme climates.

"It's nothing," The Doctor had warded off the concern in his companions fairly easily, but after he stumbled yet again, he knew that he had to say something. "Well okay, maybe it's _something, _but nothing I can't handle." Then he'd flashed that goofy grin and set in the co-ordinates for Earth. After that, the couple watched as the Doctor tried to hide any signs of illness. Any coughs were hidden with a clear of the throat and any weakness of the knees was hidden when he relied on the TARDIS console to keep him standing.

"Maybe we don't have to leave just yet," Rory had said after speaking with Amy. The couple agreed it was for the best. Even if their friends were beginning to take notice of the small changes in their appearance, it didn't come anywhere near in the priorities list when it came to the Doctor. Amy's raggedy Doctor, the man she had waited on for twelve years, the man she had dedicated her life to. That mad, daft old idiot alien whom she always got in trouble with and always, _always _had each other's back.

Amy absentmindedly clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth as she waited for her husband to return. "Gotcha," she whispered.

After that, events had transpired rather quickly. After a lot of persuasion from Amy and Rory, the Doctor had finally agreed to rest for a short while, still convinced he could take care of himself. He hadn't even told the couple where his room was or even if he _had _a room and since then, the Doctor hadn't been seen, only heard.

Amy turned her attention back to the TARDIS as it groaned once more. That one sounded particularly bad. Whatever was wrong with the Doctor, it wasn't getting any better, if anything, it seemed as though he was getting worse.

"I hate him," Rory muttered as he returned from the hallway. "I kept hearing him, but it's like one of those nightmares where you keep running but you never actually _go _anywhere." He groaned in frustration before moving back towards the TARDIS, "and fat lot of good you are," he scolded the console, "can't you see that the Doctor's sick?"

The TARDIS only groaned louder in response.

Amy shuddered, "I… I think he's gotten worse."

Rory rolled his shoulders, "yeah, I expect so."

"What if… I don't know, what if the TARDIS can't help it?" Amy said as she looked back to the console, "I mean if the TARDIS can feel whatever is wrong with the Doctor and the Doctor could barely…" she cut herself off, she didn't like pointing out weakness in the Doctor, it made him seem too human for comfort. Instead she carried on, leaving out any mentions of his growing illness, "I mean, what if the TARDIS is just too weak to help?"

Rory considered it for a moment before he shrugged, "it doesn't matter, we can't get to him so-" suddenly, a shrill ring of a phone cut him off abruptly. Rory frowned, "is that… is that a phone?"

Amy smirked, thinking back to the first time she had heard it too, "well we are in a phone box Rory,"

Rory shook his head, "no, it's not coming from the console."

Amy's brow knitted together as she listened out for the ring as well. Rory was right, not only was the pitch of the ring too _digital _for the TARDIS console, but it was emanating somewhere underneath.

Amy and Rory moved together beneath the opaque floors of the TARDIS console room and down towards its lower deck. They walked around all the wiring, fiddling with the Doctor's swing, but the noise wasn't coming from there.

"There!" Amy said suddenly as she turned to see the small tool box the Doctor had used back when the Dream Lord had taken over their minds. Rory moved over to it and groaned in frustration, "it needs a key."

"No it doesn't," Amy snapped as she slapped her right palm firmly against the box. Low and behold, not seconds after, the box fell open, spewing a spanner and a kitchen whisk onto the floor. The ringing got louder as the box opened and with a bit of rummaging, Rory pulled out a sleek mobile phone that was only a few years out dated from the ones in 2012.

Rory flipped open the phone and stared at the name on the screen, "Martha Jones? Who's that?"

"Who cares, maybe they can help!" Amy said, suddenly filled with hope. Quickly, she snatched the phone from out of Rory's grip and answered the device, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Doctor?" the voice wavered a little, unsure of Amy's gender through the rough connection.

Amy froze for a moment. Could she trust a person on the line of a phone that had been locked away and apparently forgotten? "No." Amy said quickly, pursing her lips. After a moment's silence on the other end, Amy quickly carried on, "I mean… no I'm not the Doctor, I'm Amy."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I need to talk to the Doctor, it's urgent. Is he with you?"

"Yes," Amy said warily, "but…" suddenly, her throat closed up, she suddenly didn't know what to say.

Rory sensed Amy's lack of voice and quickly grabbed the mobile from her, "sorry but-"

The voice quickly picked up again, "Doctor?"

Rory grimaced, "also not the Doctor, sorry. He can't really come to the phone right now."

"Whatever he's doing, it can wait, trust me. Just tell him it's Martha Jones, tell him that-"

"No, I mean we can't give him the phone, we don't know where he is."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Amy and Rory shared a quick glance when suddenly the voice picked up again, "but you said he was with you."

"Yes, but it doesn't mean we know where he is." Rory let out a sigh, "look, it's complicated and I can't explain, but the Doctor can't help anyone right now, he's not really himself."

"What's wrong with him?" Suddenly the voice was much more urgent, and very worried. Whoever Martha Jones was, she knew the Doctor personally, Rory knew that for sure. "Is he okay?"

"Look, can I call you back? I really need to sort this-"

"Oh God, sure. Look, I don't know what's wrong with him, but please, you have to tell him that Earth is in danger and we could really use his help."

"Yes, but I don't think you understand, the Doctor can't-" but the phone line had already gone dead. Rory paused briefly to stare at the mobile before he slipped it into his jacket pocket.

"What?" Amy asked stubbornly, "Rory, _what?"_

Rory took a deep breath before looking into his wife's eyes with a grave gaze, "things just got a lot more complicated."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, just one chapter in and already so much love! Thank you for your support, really, I appreciate it. I love your reviews, they are really good motivators to keep this story updated, so** if you want more regular updates, be sure to review with your support and/or critisisms.**

This chapter focuses more on the Doctor, Rory and the TARDIS, but in the next chapter it will be completely companion and Dream Lord orientated with some dark themes to come! Also, someone mentioned that I had written about Rory and Amy coming from the year 2012. YES, I do know that ten years have passed, but even Amy said in 'The Power of Three' that those ten years weren't based on Earth but including all the time they had been with the Doctor too. Due to wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey issues and the mention of Twitter in the previous episode, I'm just going to stick to the notion that we're in 2012 even though it's probably at least a year in the future... Anyway, on with the story:

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_**Chapter 2**_

Martha Jones snapped her phone shut with a sigh. She just sat there on the sofa for a moment, staring at the phone as if at any moment it would start to ring and the Doctor would be on the other end. It took her a full two minutes before she gained the courage to look up at her husband. Mickey Smith sat on the chair opposite her in their small apartment. They'd never really bothered putting money into buying anywhere bigger. They were constantly on missions, working outside of UNIT, keeping the world safe from alien incursions. Somewhere along the line, Martha stopped getting messages from Jack and after trying to track down the Torchwood base, she'd found it completely destroyed and desolate. She didn't know what had happened to Jack or his team, but she _did _know that if he wasn't there, then she would have to take the lead.

"Well?" Mickey asked, his eyes fixed on his wife's face.

Martha chewed the inside of her cheek and shook her head, "I think we're on our own."

"Hey," Mickey placed a reassuring hand on Martha's knee, "we're never on our own. Earth's not what it used to be."

"Mickey," Martha hissed, "we might as well be. No one can handle this, we can't-"

The two held their breath suddenly as they heard footsteps outside.

"It's alright," Mickey whispered, "they've already raided here…"

Martha shook her head rigidly as she felt tears form in her eyes. She got up from the chair stiffly and cleared the space between Mickey and herself in two strides. She sat down next to him and threaded her fingers through his. Mickey smiled grimly at her. "Just in case?" Martha whispered.

Mickey nodded briskly as he kept a firm hold on his wife's hand. Martha fiddled inside her pockets and withdrew a single key threaded on a very large piece of string. Carefully, she wound the key around Mickey and herself. They both kept their hands on it, staring at the floor. Waiting.

* * *

"What do you mean she said that Earth was in danger!?" Amy hissed as she grabbed Rory a little too forcefully by the arm and drew him closer to her.

"I-I'm not sure," Rory stammered as he stared at the phone, "maybe we should call back?"

"_Rory!_" Amy growled, "Earth, danger, strange woman… we need to tell the Doctor!" But then she pursed her lips, glancing at the console, "but we can't do that now can we?" she muttered to herself.

"We can try and find him again, this is important!" Rory aimed the last part of his sentence at the TARDIS itself as he raised his arms, growing frustrated with the TARDIS' lack of co-operation.

"One way or another, we've gotta do something," Amy summarised as she took the phone from her husband, "we need more information on what the Hell's going on and if the TARDIS is too sick and the Doctor is-" Amy closed her eyes a moment, "not going to be any help," she opened her eyes once more and looked at the phone awkwardly, "then we'll have to call back."

"Didn't I _just _say that?" Rory frowned.

Amy scowled at him and Rory immediately backed down, "We still need to find the Doctor though, help from the TARDIS or not." Amy said. Suddenly, she wasn't the forlorn, distant little girl she had appeared to be only minutes beforehand. Now she had set her mind on an objective and little Amelia Pond was nowhere to be seen. Now she was Amy.

Rory nodded in agreement, "I'm going to look down the hallways again, maybe if I don't follow the sounds of the Doctor, I'll find him… like reverse psychology."

Amy patted her husband on the back with a firm smile, "We can only try everything."

* * *

The Doctor coughed once more and moaned as he turned onto his side and into his pillow. In all aspects of the word, the Doctor felt terrible. He was hot to touch, yet freezing cold, his head was hammering and his muscles ached. He didn't know how or _why _he was in this state, but his head was swimming too much to even consider possibilities.

Somewhere at the back of his mind he was vaguely aware of the TARDIS groaning in his ear. The poor girl was feeling the illness as the Doctor both unintentionally and uncontrollably channelled his current situation into the ancient time machine. The TARDIS forced herself against the Doctor's mind, trying to get in somehow, trying to break the barriers he had put up, but the Doctor was persistent even in his ill state. He briefly wondered whether the TARDIS wanted to tell him something important, but before he could remain on the thought, his mind was already drifting.

Rory moved fast down the vast corridors of the TARDIS. It seemed the further he went, the more things changed. Nothing ever seemed to stay in place on the TARDIS. One day the library was down one corridor and to the left and the next the kitchen would have taken its place. Rory wondered whether it was just the TARDIS playing tricks or whether the Doctor had intentionally done something just to annoy him. Considering the two of them were very immature, both possibilities served equal chances.

"Doctor!" Rory called, growing tired with the constant yelling. Most of the doors on the TARDIS were unlocked or wide open such as the swimming pool, Amy and Rory's bedroom and the library, but other doors were locked. Always.

Every locked door Rory came across, he'd knock on and call the Doctor's name, making sure to listen for any sounds of life. For all Rory knew, it was the same locked door over and over, but then he had to remind himself, the Doctor was old, _really _old, and with so many memories, so many things from his past…

The Doctor made sure to save people, but there were so many he had lost on the way. Rory could only imagine what lay behind closed doors. It made him shudder to think.

Still, he persisted, trying out reverse psychology on the way. Any doors that seemed tempting to open, Rory would blatantly ignore and move to the next one in a different hallway. It was the only strategy he had left.

"_Doctor!"_

The Doctor stirred suddenly, aware of his name being called. Although the voice was hazy in his mind, he was almost certain that he knew the voice. Carefully, he sat himself up on the bed he'd managed to find. Although it wasn't _his _room, the TARDIS had felt his need for rest almost as soon as he had first started showing signs. The old girl was good under pressure, and while she was still as coherent as he was, she had managed to cook up a spare room from the TARDIS storage banks.

"_Doctor!"_

And that's when the Doctor realised that the voice belonged to Rory Pond, the lone centurion, the boy who waited. Two thousand years standing guard outside the Pandorica for Amy, the girl who waited. Who waited all night in her back garden. Was it worth it?

Bits of old memories kept sprouting to the surface and with the Doctor's mind deteriorating to compensate for his illness, the barriers that usually kept old memories at bay were disappearing.

"Doctor?"

This time, the voice didn't sound distant, but near, very near indeed. The Doctor rubbed at his eyes tiredly as he attempted to lift himself up off the bed. Then suddenly, with the barriers evaporating in his mind, a soft sweet voice managed to bleed through.

_Hide._

That gave the Doctor an energy boost enough to startle him. That voice was familiar, like a ghost of a person he once knew. The once-human voice of his once-human TARDIS. "What?" he rasped, wincing at his sore throat. He rubbed at his neck subconsciously as he mentally cursed himself for succumbing to such a _human _weakness.

Oh… that was new. What was that? …Spite? Anger? Old emotions that seemed to surface so easily in his current state of mind. Perhaps this was why he'd been so angry back on Mercy, why he'd felt so tired. Those screams of the victims Jex destroyed… he'd seen that and so much more in the past, but for some reason, that time, he'd barely contained his darker side. If Amy hadn't have been there to stop him, he was almost positive he would have shot Jex in the chest before the Gunslinger could even get close.

Then, the TARDIS spoke again, _Hide._

The Doctor rubbed at his already aching head, the telepathic conversation wasn't really helping his migraine. Usually, the Doctor would have questioned the TARDIS' sudden ability to express her desires through words, but right then, he was just happy to hear her voice. "Who's hiding?" The Doctor asked, trying to add a bit of his charm to the end of his sentence, like he always did when addressing his _sexy._

_You._

"_I'm _hiding?" The Doctor asked, frowning. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by another violent round of coughing. He groaned into his hands once it was over and almost didn't stop himself when his body began to betray him, wanting nothing more than to collapse back down into the bed. But the Doctor was curious as to why the TARDIS thought he was hiding. And curiosity was just one more thing that kept the Doctor going even in the worst of all possible situations. "I'm hiding…" he said the words to himself that time, experimenting with them. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "I'm hiding!" He looked up at the ceiling and pointed at it accusingly, "_you're _hiding me!"

_Had to._

The Doctor frowned, "and why on Earth did you think-" but he couldn't quite finish as another round of hacking coughs took over. The Doctor felt the TARDIS rumble with him, weakened by his weakness.

_My thief is sick._

The Doctor rolled his eyes, a hand firmly pressed against his forehead as if somehow that would suppress his headache. "Perception filter right? You're hiding me from Amy and Rory!"

_You need to heal._

The Doctor sighed as he closed his eyes, "I can't, Amy and-" he broke off to cough once more, he cleared his throat, though his voice was noticeably weaker as he continued, "-Rory need me."

The TARDIS groaned, making the walls rumble. The Doctor could tell that it must have taken a lot of energy to do what she was doing, especially in her current state. She was still protecting him, even now. But he knew what was for the best and being _hidden _wasn't going to solve anything.

"Doctor!"

"That's Rory out there," the Doctor argued, somehow finding his voice once more, "obviously concerned. I need to help them," the Doctor lifted himself up on unsteady legs and though the world swerved unstably as he did so, he was up, and that was a great improvement.

_Rest._

"Not when you're putting Amy and Rory in danger," the Doctor stressed, locking his jaw into a frown, "look at you, as useful as I am," his statement was further verified by another round of coughing which sent him back onto the bed. He sighed, keeping his face buried beneath his hands for a few moments before continuing, "if you hide me from them, if one thing was to go wrong, just _one , _you could put their lives in danger." By the end of his sentence the Doctor felt exhausted. Was this what it felt like to be human and vulnerable? To give into such petty ailments? His eyes were close to closing and for the first time in what felt like several lifetimes, the Doctor actually felt physically tired. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the Doctor registered the TARDIS giving a very frustrated huff of acknowledgement before the click of a lock was heard and the perception filter was lifted.

The Doctor closed his eyes in gratification as he grinned to himself in relief, "thank God that worked."

Within just seconds of the door clicking, Rory was on his way. He almost kicked himself for not considering the possibility that the TARDIS was keeping the door _hidden. _He should have been looking harder, at all the nooks and crannies that he _didn't _want to see instead of the ones that he did. Still, wasting no time, Rory quickly grabbed the door handle and yanked it open.

"Doctor?" Rory's voice lowered substantially as soon as his eyes spied the poorly Time Lord. The Doctor was half propped up against a pillow, still fully clothed and breathing heavily. His face was coated with a thin sheen of sweat and his skin was pale and flushed.

"Oh, Rory Pond," the Doctor rolled his eyes, but instantly regretted it as it sent a spark of pain into his head, "brilliant," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"You're worse," Rory summarised as he watched the ailing Time Lord. Though Rory wanted nothing more than to assess the Doctor's full symptoms, he had to fight against the Nurse inside him. He _had _to tell the Doctor what he had heard, it came higher on priorities.

"'m fine," the Doctor murmured, his eyes fully closing as he leant further into his pillow.

Rory sighed, "no you're not."

"No, I'm not." The Doctor agreed tiredly. Suddenly the tables had turned, he was agreeing with _Rory. _Rory the Roman, since when did that happen?

"Doctor, look, we got a phone call."

"Yes? People call me all the-" the Doctor broke off to cough as he pressed his face further into his pillow, "-time," he barely managed to finish his sentence. Rory winced; maybe telling the Doctor wasn't the best idea.

_Earth is in danger. _Martha's voice rang in Rory's ears. He nodded to himself. Earth was in danger and right now, they needed a Doctor. It was just too bad that the Doctor could do with one himself…

"Earth's in danger," Rory spluttered. He didn't wait for the Doctor's reply, although he could already see the Time Lord's eyes open wide, "We got this call, I mean we found this phone… it was ringing and it said that it was Martha Jones… the phone I mean… and then the voice said it too… and she said she needed you, because Earth was in danger." Rory knew he could have said the sentence so much better, but he didn't miss the Doctor jerking his head up at the mention of Martha Jones.

"Doctor, who is she?"

The Doctor pushed himself up into a sitting position, his eyes darting about the room, though his vision was slightly impaired partly because of his hair clinging to his face and partly because the room seemed to be spinning. "Old friend of mine…" the Doctor muttered, trying to gather his thoughts.

_Martha Jones… _he hadn't seen her since his last regeneration. The Doctor winced at the memory.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Rory asked, concerned.

"Just can't catch a break today," the Doctor grumbled as he hauled himself onto his feet. Rory saw the Doctor falter before he was even fully standing and moved quickly to support the feverish Time Lord.

"I've got to get to the console, if Earth's in danger, we need to be there." The Doctor said, suppressing the urge to cough.

"Are you sure that's-"

"-Not really the time Rory!" The Doctor growled.

Rory nodded, "right." On any other occasion, Rory would have recommended bed rest, but when the Earth was in danger, he really couldn't go against the Doctor. He just had to be there and hope to God he didn't get any worse.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, I knew the end was coming for the Ponds, but I still cried for them. The Doctor might have had those two burned into his hearts, but they were burned into mine as well. *Sniff,* well, time to move on. We'll be seeing Jenna-Louise Coleman again in the Christmas episode as she takes on the role of new companion and there's the 50th Anniversary spectacular to look forward to!

Thank you guys so much for the reviews, they are really amazing! This chapter revolves around Martha, Mickey and Rose so I hope that you enjoy. And don't worry, if you're already missing them, you'll still be seeing Amy and Rory in my story!

Oh and, obviously I do not own Doctor Who.

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

Amy dialled the number for what felt like the millionth time and for that _millionth _time, no one answered. She was beginning to grow worried for the mystery caller, she had sounded so urgent on the phone. Amy pursed her lips and pressed redial once more. She didn't even bother pressing her ear to the phone; she had become much too accustomed to listening to that God awful ring tone.

* * *

Martha and Mickey sat with their fingers threaded together and their eyes closed. Martha sank into her husband as they shared the single leather arm chair like their life depended on it. They didn't move, they scarcely even breathed. Together the pair had gone up against Sontarans and rogue Judoon. They'd aided UNIT in battling _two _separate alien invasions and had even exploded a few Slitheen, but now they knew that they were out matched. Just the sounds of the creatures moving sent shivers down their spines. They couldn't attack them, they couldn't beat them. They couldn't do anything except hope to God the Doctor would come, because he was their only hope.

Ironically, the exact thing they wanted was their imminent downfall. Both Mickey and Martha opened their eyes in shared looks of horror as the mobile that had been placed on the coffee table began to vibrate.

_The Doctor_

Martha had to force herself not to scramble up and grab the device. She couldn't answer it, couldn't stop it. It was already too late.

Four knocks on the door was all it took to send Martha into a panic attack.

"Fear."

Martha screamed a proper, blood curdling scream. She _never _thought she could _ever _scream like that _ever_ again. But there she was, just as terrified, perhaps even more than she had been on her last adventure with the Doctor before she had walked out on him.

Just four knocks. That's all it took.

"Fear's an amazing thing, y'know."

Martha refused to open her eyes, her body was locked against Mickey, her entire being frozen. It took up until Mickey's ferocious "who the Hell are you?" to jolt her out of her almost trance-like state.

There, sat across from them on the sofa where Martha had been only moments previously was a rather short, stout man with short brown hair and a simple tweed suit. He grinned and crossed one leg over the other, leaning in towards the couple, "you see I save _so_ much energy when I'm using people like you," the man gestured towards the couple with a tight smile, "with as many memories like you two, all I have to do is-" he lifted out a palm in front of him, "-pluck out a fear and exploit it," his tongue traced his front teeth as his fingers clenched together into a tight fist.

"Get out," Mickey said through gritted teeth. Already, he was reaching for the gun he had placed just next to the arm chair. The couple were armed and ready for any form of alien attack.

"Oh, guns won't work on me; you see I work on a different level," as if to illustrate his point, the strange little man suddenly faded from sight and in a moment's instance, reappeared in the doorway that led into the hall. Mickey now had his gun loaded and aimed straight at the creature's head, but Martha lifted a hand to stop him.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The man pulled a face and rolled his eyes, "you're a lot of fun aren't you? Guns and questions, that's all the yap I get out of you two." The man folded his arms as he leant against the doorway, "still, you're the Doctor's friends and any friends of his are enemies of mine."

Martha stiffened, "you know the Doctor?"

The man grinned, "I've yet to meet a man who hasn't."

"Martha," Mickey warned, still holding the gun with strong hands.

"Oh, what'll that do Mickey, really?" Martha growled, grabbing Mickey's wrists and forcefully pulling the device down to his waist. "You just saw it, that thing… whatever it is, isn't really here."

"And yet I still instil fear in you, don't I Martha Jones-_Smith_?"

Martha shuddered at the use of her full name, but the man only took pleasure out of her repulsion, "Your fear is one of the sleekest I can create. For your husband it takes a full blown army but for _you _it's just four. Little. Drums." The man began tapping in a steady rhythm of four against the plastered walls. He began to click his tongue in the same beat as he grinned at her. Martha felt her heart racing. "Stop it." She growled, "please."

"You've stopped whole armies from invading and yet just this little beat of four sends you to your knees."

"Stop," Martha begged once more.

The man began to laugh, enjoying every moment of Martha's pain like some kind of sick pleasure. He continued drumming as he spoke, "Oh, I'm only just starting. You see, I've been given a rare opportunity and I won't waste it."

"What are you on about?" Mickey snarled.

"Ah," the man smiled, pointing towards the fuming Mickey, "he speaks! Mickey the idiot isn't it? Ricky?"

Mickey fell silent at the mention of his old nick-names. Only the Doctor ever called him those names. For a brief moment, Mickey had to look at the man that stood before him a little harder. Something about him seemed so familiar.

The man rolled his eyes, sensing Mickey's thoughts, "oh, don't worry… I'm not the Doctor, not exactly, he isn't nearly as much fun as I am. You see, I'm the sort of psychopath you might want to invite to a party. I won't kill you, no that comes much later." The man's eyes darkened as he looked upon his first two game pieces, "let's say I want to play a game, a game where your true fears come to life." The man snapped his fingers and suddenly the front door crashed open.

Suddenly, thousands of voices echoed around the couple.

_Exterminate, Exterminate!_

_You will be assimilated!_

_One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four!_

_I name thee Martha Jones!_

Martha and Mickey covered their ears as the noise became too much, suddenly it was coupled with gun fire and the smell of burning.

"Oh, I hear your hearts racing, but the fun's only just beginning!" the man clapped his hands together as he fizzled out and appeared right next to the couple, "you're just two of many… my little game needs many pieces. You see, its all about keeping your head," the man narrowed his eyes, "think you can do that?"

Martha forced her eyes upon the creature before her and tried to reach out, only failing to grab anything solid as the man simply turned to static around her grip, "who are you?" Martha rasped before gasping out as the four drum beats returned inside her skull. She sunk her nails into her head, yelling out as the noises and smells continued, getting stronger and stronger until her mind was overwhelmed.

The man clasped his hands together and grinned smugly, "well," he raised his arms up in mocked surrender, "considering it won't burn any galaxies up by telling you, I might as well. You can call me the Dream Lord and from now on, _I'm _in control." Mickey yelled out this time, the sounds of mechanical marching invading his head. The Cybermen that killed his other self, the things that felt nothing. He had been _so scared._

"Good!" the Dream Lord cried, laughing once more, "feel your fears, because from now on, that's all you'll be feeling! The game starts, NOW!" Suddenly, Mickey and Martha were engulfed in a blindingly bright light and then, just like that, they were gone. And so was the Dream Lord. Nothing was left except for the lone mobile phone on the coffee table, still vibrating impatiently, waiting to be answered.

* * *

To Rose Tyler, it felt like centuries since she had travelled with the bewildering mad-man of an alien that called himself the Doctor. All of time and space in a little blue box, nothing was impossible. Not even their relationship, until when it was.

Until she found herself trapped in a parallel world; _Pete's World, _with an identical, human copy of her beautiful, incredible mad man.

Honestly, it had taken Rose much less time to adjust than she had previously expected. She'd started working for Pete's World's version of Torchwood and together, they helped save the world from alien incursions. They even made friends with a few species on the way. The Doctor's meta-crisis self went by the name of John Tyler, (ever since the two had become engaged) however, to everyone at Torchwood, to everyone that _knew _who he was, he was still _The Doctor; _he was still Rose's Doctor.

A few years ago, John had made his first realisation that even being separated through two different Universes, he could still – on some level – feel the Doctor inside of him. It had come to a surprise to everyone when he had felt what could only best be described as his other self, his _alien _self going through another regeneration. Even though Rose was happy where she was, even though she was well on her way to building a family with the one and only man she had ever desired since 2005… she still cried. She'd seen the Doctor regenerate once before and she'd seen him shot by a Dalek and almost, _almost _regenerate again. She could only imagine what kind of awful tragedy had occurred to send the Doctor into his eleventh incarnation.

Fortunately, according to John, the regeneration was a success and there were much milder implications in the transformation than last time. Apparently, the Doctor had been 'up on his feet' and 'saving the world' almost instantly afterwards. Rose couldn't help but smile towards the news.

But that had been _years _ago and John hadn't made another connection with the Doctor since. So, life went on as usual, _well _as usual as it _could be _for a group of Torchwood employees.

But suddenly, after what felt like years of trying, Rose and John were no longer just a couple, but a _family._

Rose grinned as she leant against the kitchen wall, the home phone pressed against her ear, "she's still fine mum, stop worryin'."

"Oh, I know sweetheart, but I always wonder, I mean… what if she's part Time Man or something?"

"_Lord, _mum," Rose rolled her eyes to her mother's discontent. Every day for the past two months since Rose had left the hospital, Jackie had phoned just to make sure that the baby was still _just a baby._

"What if she has two hearts?"

"No, mum, seriously, I checked, the doctors checked… there's nothing different about her, The Doctor, _John, _he did a full check on her. She's one hundred per cent Human."

"Oh sweetie, I'm so proud of you,"

Rose couldn't help but smirk as she heard the emotion through the phone line. Whenever her mother wasn't worrying, she was congratulating her on actually making a start to real life. Jackie had never been thrilled with Rose's choice of work; she'd been worried enough when her little girl was on different planets, mingling with other species, now her little girl had found a way to do that in the comfort of her own planet. "They're giving you a leave of absence, yeah? Make sure you get paid, honestly honey, if they don't give you paid maternity leave then I'll personally phone them up and-"

"Mum, we don't live off of making profits, and besides, we're fine, really." Rose couldn't help but stress the last part. Her father, unlike the one from her original Universe, had become a multi-millionaire, selling devices that just seemed to catch everybody's attention. He gave her a large sum of the profits every month or so and with it, Rose and John had managed to buy a rather extravagant house. Rose smiled as she moved her gaze through the hallway and towards the stairs where her little baby girl was sleeping peacefully above, "I love you,"

"I love you too sweetheart,"

Rose bit her lip and let out a sigh, "I need to go now, just make sure everyone's okay,"

"Okay, but Rose, make sure to tell me if anything changes-"

"Bye mum," Rose quickly interrupted as she smoothly cut off her babbling mother. Sometimes it was tiring to hear the same concerns over and over. There was nothing wrong with her baby, not at all. The meta-crisis Doctor was _human. _He had one heart and aged at the same rate as she did. The only reason that there could ever be something wrong would be if…

"Still afraid are we?"

Rose suppressed a yelp of surprise as a short, brunette man with a red bow tie appeared in front of her. He folded his arms and smiled cruelly, "who's afraid of the big Bad Wolf?"

Rose froze as soon as the words clicked. Only a select amount of people knew what the Bad Wolf meant and even fewer knew _who _created it. Rose Tyler had been – for a short period – the Bad Wolf. A human God with the power of the very essence of a TARDIS running through her heart and soul. Rose could have died, but the Doctor had sacrificed his ninth incarnation to make sure she remained safe.

But Rose Tyler had grown strong in her years as a Torchwood operative. She may not have known every name of every species in the entire Universe, but she was no longer afraid of facing off with one. She'd done a few lone missions before and now, Rose Tyler hardly feared anything at all. "What are you and how do you know about that?" Rose snapped, her brown eyes imploring deep within the alien in front of her.

"Look closer," the man urged, "go on, I dare you. I bet you won't like what you see."

Rose narrowed her eyes at the creature, but kept searching. She looked for anything that might give her any inclination on what the alien was or how to defeat it if necessary. Instead, she only found herself moving deeper within the creature's chocolate eyes. Eyes that were far beyond their years, eyes with shadows of darkness and tortures and memories never to be shared with anyone. Ever.

The eyes of a man she once knew, a man she _still _knew.

"Doctor!" It didn't take her half a second to make the connection. The being in front of her was impossible, even for Rose Tyler, the big Bad Wolf.

Rose started running for the stairs, screaming the Doctor's name. But no one came. In fact, she suddenly realised that she wasn't running anywhere at all, but instead suspended in the frozen motion of running away. It didn't stop her trying, however, "Doctor! Help! Doctor!"

"I really did expect something more from the famous Rose Tyler," the man almost sounded disappointed with her reaction. Rose scoffed to that, finding she couldn't jerk her head around to meet the thing, she instead settled for moving her eyes over in that direction, "The fact you've stopped me shows that you're the coward," Rose argued, eyes glinting with the danger of an angered young woman. She'd seen the Doctor dodge the worst of situations by talking his way out of them. Now it was her turn. "You wanted me to look at you and I did. You've got old eyes mate, and I know what that means."

The man only faltered slightly, but his grin grew all the same, "Oh, now that's the kind of ferocity I adore! It's always more fun when there's something to tear away during the game."

Rose let out a breath, frowning, "game, what game?"

The man lifted his arms up, "everything starting from now."

"You're seriously messed up," Rose snorted, trying to ward away her sudden concerns with humour, "go on then, what's your _game?_"

The man beamed and flickered out of existence, only to appear mere inches from where Rose was stood, frozen. "Thought you'd never ask," he sneered.

Rose listened in silent wonder as the man introduced himself as the _Dream Lord. _It didn't take a genius to figure out where he'd gotten the name from. The way he presented himself, the way his eyes showed a darker tale than his younger face… this man may not be a Time Lord but he was something close to the Doctor, something that didn't belong in this world.

But the story took a darker turn when he began to speak of the game once more, "I unleash your fears and what's beautiful about this game… is you humans have so many!" The Dream Lord laughed at his own joke as he fizzled out again and appeared – this time – behind Rose. He took a strand of her blonde hair and carelessly threaded three of his fingers through it. Rose wanted nothing more than to hit the sorry excuse of an alien right in the gob.

"Your biggest fear, though you like to pretend it isn't, is the one of your past experience as the Bad Wolf," the Dream Lord dropped Rose's hair and allowed it to fall lifelessly to her back once more, "you fear that the monster will return and maybe… maybe something inside your own daughter has unlocked as well."

Rose kept calm throughout the talk. She'd been in worse situations than this and thanks to her team, she'd been trained on how to act in these circumstances. Remain calm even when being exploited, if they want to play with your mind, don't let them. It just seemed to be getting harder and harder as the Dream Lord dug deeper and deeper into her mind. It was like the Dream Lord had known her before, but that was impossible…

"But this isn't about your daughter or even your precious half-form of a husband, no, this is about you, Rose Tyler." The Dream Lord appeared once more in front of Rose, "you see, at the moment I exist as a faceless being," as if to illustrate his point, the Dream Lord turned to static and then to a solid being before her gaze, "but I've been given a large window of space to do whatever I please, and I intend to get back at the man that cheated in my first game,"

"The Doctor," Rose blurted, looking at the Dream Lord slyly, "it figures, the Doctor could beat you any day,"

"Ah-ah-ah," the Dream Lord wiggled his index finger in front of Rose's nose as if she was nothing more than a simple minded dog, "you see, the Doctor cheated in his game, but would he dare cheat when he knew that each incorrect move would mean another game piece lost?"

Rose frowned, "game piece… you mean… oh," Rose didn't want to know any more. She wished more than anything that John could be here, that this was all some kind of horrible nightmare induced by lack of sleep. But she knew it to be real.

"Good girl, now you understand the rules, perhaps you're ready to play… but first, let's give you a little bit of an _unfair _advantage."

Rose's eyes widened, "a what?" but by the time the words had fled her lips, she already knew what the Dream Lord was implying. Still frozen in place, her hands began to glow a fierce gold, then her arms, and then the light began to engulf her very being. It was like a fire had started inside Rose's mind and although it was so very, _very _beautiful, it hurt. Oh God, it hurt so _much. _And that made her angry, angry at her human form for being unable to take the power that she held.

"_I see all."_

Rose, on some level, knew that it wasn't her that was speaking, but it didn't matter. Her body had already broken free from the hold the Dream Lord had on her.

The Dream Lord laughed in ecstasy as he clapped his hands together, "oh, brilliant! Absolutely superb. I'm telling you, I'll bet that you're the favoured piece!"

Before the Bad Wolf could speak and before she could atomise anything within her prison, the Dream Lord took her in a light almost as bright as the one that she radiated. And again, the two forms disappeared leaving the sound of a baby girl in distress as she cried in a distant wail and the sound of an even more distressed Doctor John Tyler as he ran down the stairs.

"ROSE, ROSE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"ROSE!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So, what? It's been about a week since my last chapter, give or take? Time for another! Now, this chapter revolves around the Doctor, Amy, Rory and JACK. Yes, JACK. I didn't forget about him, (nor did I forget about Donna, she'll come in later...) I really love all your reviews guys, they are a real inspiration and I am truly grateful for all of you. Keep reviewin' and I'll keep posting, :)

I don't own Doctor Who, nor do I own any of the characters, but I think you knew that already. *wink*

See you on the flip-side and once again THANK YOU!

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

Amy had been growing impatient in waiting for her husband's return. Honestly, she hadn't expected Rory to find the Doctor and with one final call to the mystery woman that – once again – heralded only silence, she had begun wondering what it would take to get the TARDIS to make an emergency landing on Earth.

But then suddenly Amy could hear voices down the hallway.

"I can get there by myself, Rory!"

"Right, because the last time I let you go you didn't fall over or _anything._"

"The gravity was obviously dodgy in that spot!"

"_Sure, _so the whole hallway's gravity was working perfectly fine for me but-"

"Oh shut up!"

The conversation was cut off abruptly as a chain of hacking coughs reverberated across the walls and into the main console room. Amy had to supress a chill that crept up her spine as the coughing made a permanent residence in her memory. She'd almost, _almost _convinced herself that the Doctor might have been feeling better if it wasn't for the coughing. She listened closely for the Doctor's voice, but this time, there was only silence as the two made an appearance from the corridor above.

Amy watched as Rory supported the Doctor as he painfully made his way down the stairs. Obviously, the Time Lord was still recuperating from his latest coughing fit. This time, he was finding it particularly hard to catch his breath.

Amy studied the Doctor during his weakened state and immediately noticed that – if it were possible – his skin had turned an even paler shade than before. His cheeks were still flushed and his hair covered his face like an old mop, covering so much of his eyes that she couldn't understand how he was still able to see what was directly in front of him.

Rory tried to support the alien by holding an arm around his back, but after a few moments of heavy breathing, the Doctor regained his composure and moved out of Rory's grip fairly easily.

The Doctor smiled as he was met with his console once more. He knew that the more he let his illness ravage him, the more it would ravage the TARDIS, but he had still blindly allowed Amy and Rory to have the power for enough time to actually guide him away and into bed. _Big mistake._

The Doctor stroked the console affectionately, fighting hard to keep standing with little to no support of his beloved machine. "I know it hurts," the Doctor murmured, directing his speech to the TARDIS and the TARDIS only, "but if I can get here, then you can get to Earth."

The TARDIS whirred, clearly frustrated. Amy and Rory glanced nervously at each other as the Doctor carried on talking to his machine. His speech soon became too low to be understood, but as Amy followed the Doctor's lips she was almost positive that he was no longer speaking English. Amy knew he had to have regressed to pepping the TARDIS with their native tongue. Gallifreyan was the only language that wasn't translated after all.

"What do you think he's saying?" Rory asked as he joined his wife on the other side of the console.

Amy shrugged, "doesn't matter, as long as it gets her goin'."

The Doctor smiled appreciatively and soon he was pressing buttons and pulling gears as if nothing had been wrong in the first place. The TARDIS whirred as usual, however there was a slight undertone to the sound she gave off. If a machine could be tired, then that's how the couple perceived the noise.

The Doctor fought back any urges to cough as best he could. The last thing he wanted to do was send more pain to his TARDIS when she was trying ever so hard to do the right thing. At the same time he tried to fly the old girl as best he could without getting too tired or dizzy, which was proving a hard task to complete. Rory kept taking hesitant steps forward every time he wobbled against the console and the Doctor was growing sick of it, as if Rory expected him to collapse at any moment.

The Doctor managed to land the TARDIS, if not a little roughly, on Earth.

"Okay Amy, going to need the phone," The Doctor said, trying to sound as much as his usual self that was possible with a very hoarse throat.

Amy pursed her lips and glanced at Rory for confirmation. Usually, she was never this dependent on Rory's say-so, but right then he was the most medically experienced person in the room, the most dependable. She had to trust Rory to know what she could and couldn't allow the Doctor to do, especially in his weakened state.

Rory nodded and Amy moved to the Doctor, fighting the urge to support the Time Lord herself. Still, she handed the phone over and hovered around the Doctor as he hooked the device up to the main monitor.

"Whatcha doin'?" Amy asked as she peered over the Doctor's shoulder.

"Finding where the call came from, otherwise we'll be looking all over Earth for her." The Doctor said as the screen began to fade into a map of the area, "last time I saw Martha Jones she was doing free-lance work with her husband," the Doctor refrained from adding 'Mickey the idiot' to the end of his sentence. His companions wouldn't understand the reference, and it was never as fun to say unless Mickey was there to scowl at him afterwards. The Doctor couldn't help but smirk from the fond memories.

The monitor began to slowly fade as the TARDIS made another groan of protest, "you're doing great dear, just a minute longer," the Doctor coaxed, once again in English, as he stroked the console fondly, "just need to… there!" Amy and Rory jumped in surprise at the Doctor's sudden energy. He grinned proudly as the map locked on to an exact location. "Alright dear, just one more trip," the Doctor assured as he began pushing buttons and typing in co-ordinates, "then you can rest."

Even as the Doctor said the words, Amy and Rory could hear tiredness behind them and the silent longing that he could rest too. It scared Amy to see this side of the Doctor. Before, she always considered him a being that didn't sleep, or at least some kind of insomniac. To see him so _tired, _so _weak… _it just reminded her that even though he could change his face, the Doctor was still mortal. He could still hurt, just like anyone else.

Still, the couple braced themselves, as they did for any journey, but even they could tell that between the Doctor's even poorer than usual driving skills and the TARDIS' obvious weakness tying her down, the ride was going to be a lot more bumpier than usual.

They weren't wrong.

By the time the journey was over, the couple had managed to fall to the floor three times. The Doctor had only fallen over once and was radiating the glory of this fact. Now at least Rory wouldn't waver around him like he was as fragile as a piece of glass.

"So, where are we then?" Amy asked after she had regained enough composure to speak.

The Doctor's eyes flashed as he read the screen, "little apartment block, just to the east of London, we're looking for number 12B, that's Martha's apartment." The sentence had made the Time Lord feel a little breathless, but he recovered fast and was already bounding – if not a little more forced than usual – towards the TARDIS doors.

"Wait!" Rory called as the Doctor was about to pull the doors open. The Doctor froze to look at him expectantly and so did Amy. Rory cleared his throat a little sheepishly, "what are we supposed to be expecting, I mean Martha _did _say Earth was in danger."

"Could be a lot of the things," the Doctor said, "could be a lot of a lot of things, more and more aliens come to Earth every year, it doesn't help that you all parade yourself around space with your telescopes and time capsules," the Doctor waved a hand dismissively before he brought it to his mouth to cough a few short times into it. Rory could tell that the Doctor was holding back his symptoms, but as a trained nurse, he could see the full extent of the Time Lord's illness as if it was written across his face in permanent marker. Still, he knew that crowding the Doctor was a bad idea, the Doctor didn't like having his weaknesses pointed out almost as much as Amy didn't like hearing about them. Rory rolled his eyes in despair but decided to overlook the Doctor's latest coughing fit. After all, truly anything could have been standing behind those wooden doors.

"Are we goin' out there or not?" Amy asked impatiently. She would give anything to try and overlook the Doctor's illness. She was almost as bad as _he _was.

"Yes," the Doctor said with a smile, though Rory had to supress a sigh at his hoarse vocals.

And with that, the Time Lord opened the doors and stepped out…

…Into a completely clear, not-abnormal-in-the-slightest London road.

The Doctor frowned as he looked about himself. No people screaming in terror, no aliens with devious laser weapons, not even a car out of park. It was just a normal London street with normal London people giving him odd looks as he stared at each human that passed him by. Nothing was wrong here. Not at all.

"Um, Doctor, is this what an invasion looks like, or am I just goin' crazy?" Amy asked from behind as she too exited the TARDIS.

The Doctor shook his head in frustration, but immediately regretted the idea as his world spun and dove around him.

"This can't be right," he stammered, holding his forehead with one hand as he spun on his heels to double check everything.

"Doctor…" Rory said unsurely. The Doctor had paled even more since his latest realisation and Rory was beginning to worry about how much longer he would last on two legs. However, before Rory could say anything more, the Doctor was already running towards the block of flats just across the road.

"Come on!" he called, never faltering in his speed.

It took a while for the three friends to find the apartment, but once they did, Amy and Rory were panting to catch their breath. Amy glowered at the Doctor darkly as he fiddled in his pocket for his sonic once no one answered the door after several knocks. She knew that he was hiding his illness, but what was worrying her was how well he was doing it. She didn't really know what the difference was in Time Lord and Human physiology, but something told her that whatever had happened to Martha Jones was more important to the Doctor than succumbing to whatever was wrong with him. The couple finally regained their breath as the front door clicked. The Doctor grinned and opened it, peering inside.

"Martha?" He asked, unable to mask his concern. Martha Jones had been one of his smartest companions. Unlike others, Martha had chosen to leave before the world crashed and burned around her. She had survived the year that never was, but she had remembered it and so had her family. The Doctor had ruined her life and was unable to glue the pieces back together. The best he could do was offer her up to UNIT and even then she decided to quit. He'd always kept an eye on her – Martha Jones – but after his rough regeneration and his new companions, he'd forgotten about his little time jumps to his companions. The last time he'd seen Martha, Mickey, Donna or even Jack had been back when he was ten, back when he had been so eager to stay as he was. That feeling of regret had evaporated as soon as he changed, but something in his hearts always told him that that face was going to be hard to forget, not just for him, but for each person that encountered it.

After a few moments of relative silence, the Doctor guided Amy and Rory into the flat. They stepped carefully, as if anything could be a potential threat. The flat was relatively small and was only made up of a few rooms. There was a hallway that gave off a rather claustrophobic feel and that hallway led into about four different rooms. A kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and a bedroom.

The Doctor shuddered, "how do you people live in these kinds of spaces?" he shook his head as he withdrew his sonic once more, "everything's so… _small._"

"We can't all have a time machine that exists in two different dimensions," Rory reminded as he followed close behind Amy as each friend took a room to investigate.

"No one's in the kitchen!" Amy called.

Rory appeared from the doorway of the bedroom, "no one in here either, but, oh hey look, _double beds._"

A few coughs sounded from the living room before the Doctor weakly argued, "bunk beds are cool!"

"Oh can you two both shut up?" Amy sighed as she moved on to the bathroom. She peered inside and frowned, "bathroom's clear too."

The Doctor frowned as he soniced the living room. Something wasn't right, not right at all. "Life signs in here," he called with a croak as he studied his sonic intensely. It definitely said there were life signs… but they were fading, getting weaker every second.

"Teleport," the Doctor said quietly, staring at the sonic, "it's a-ah-_ah_-AHCHOO!" the Doctor groaned as he rubbed at his nose, "perfect," he muttered. Just another symptom to make his head spin. He sighed as he leant against the doorframe.

That's when he felt it.

"Doctor?" Amy and Rory called at the same time as they ran over to the alien, "you alright?" Amy asked, placing a hand on her raggedy man's shoulder. The Doctor shook his head as he moved away from the door frame. "Someone's been here," he said, narrowing his eyes at the wall where he had been previously leaning. He pointed there and glanced towards his companions, "notice everything."

Amy and Rory both looked to the spot and then to each other, "I don't see anything…" Rory said slowly.

Amy shrugged as she looked at the spot, but then suddenly… something caught her eye. "Hang on, something's there," she pointed to where the Doctor had been pointing, "something is sparkling."

Rory squinted at the spot as the Doctor placed his hand under the small sparkling particles and lifted one onto his finger. Just seeing the particles made the Doctor feel physically weak. Weaker than he was currently feeling. Suddenly the world seemed to spin as he lost his footing and fell into the other side of the doorway, clutching his head.

"Doctor?" Rory asked, instantly switching to nurse mode, "what's the matter?"

"Psychic pollen…" the Doctor barely whispered, "its psychic pollen."

Amy and Rory's eyes both shimmered with the realisation, memories hitting them hard.

"But that's impossible," Rory said. He thought for a moment and then took in the Doctor's vacant expression, "isn't it?"

"Doctor!" Amy growled, shaking the Time Lord roughly on the shoulder, "listen, isn't that impossible?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I don't-" he was caught off guard by another coughing fit. He shook his head afterwards, sagging against the wall, "it's possible that... I mean during my weakened state I could have…" The Doctor's eyes widened as he looked back at the pollen, "…I let him out."

"Oh my God," Amy whispered.

The Doctor closed his eyes, silently cursing himself. Of all the hundreds of thousands of things that could have possibly happened to Martha and Mickey, it had to be _this. _This man was all about pain and suffering with not one piece of mercy in his entire being. The Time Lord knew this; after all he _was_ technically part of the Doctor. He'd allowed the darkest thing he'd ever met out of his subconscious.

The Doctor growled through gritted teeth as he slammed his fist against the wall, startling his companions, "the Dream Lord."

* * *

One moment, Captain Jack Harkness had been in the middle of New York with the whole intentions of reinstituting Torchwood. The next moment, Jack had found himself in a dark, desolate London street.

"It's really quite depressing when I find people like you." A disembodied voice seemed to flitter through Jack's head. Jack spun around almost instantly, unaware of what the threat might be. He could have been more shocked than he was when he realised that he had more or less teleported without his own devices, but truthfully, things like this weren't that hard to believe for a long-time Torchwood operative and previous Time Agent. He'd appeared in a lot stranger places than this; one involving a king size bed, a pair of very handsome twins and a video camera.

Though the fond memories came to light, they were taken away almost instantly by a very unnerving snicker from behind him.

"You know, usually when I tap into a mind I find their fears. I wasn't really expecting _that._"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to invade a person's mind?" Jack's eyes glinted with humour as he spun around, half expecting to see the face attached to the voice. His face fell as he was met with nothing but the dark once more.

"Well, I never really had a mother or a father, or even a face."

Jack pouted, "that's really too bad, I would have loved to meet you _in the flesh._"

The laugh picked up again, but now Jack could clearly hear the darker intent behind it. "Captain Jack Harkness, such a lovable old dope. The Doctor really likes you, though he can't stand you at the same time. 'Course, a Time Lord wouldn't be able to stand you, you're not right. You need to be fixed." There was an eerie pause in the words where Jack was too astonished to speak. Really, it shouldn't have shocked him that some form of alien entity knew who the Doctor was, but to know what _he _was, to know what had happened…

The voice returned, mockingly, "but I'm not going to _fix _you Jack, that would leave the interpretation that I was a good guy."

Jack dug his hands into his trench coat pockets and blew out a breath, "Figured," he muttered.

"You don't fear much though Mr Harkness. The fixed point. The man who cannot die." The voice was tired at this point, debating his fate, "I guess you've died too many times to fear it and lived so long that life doesn't scare you either… but I'm sure there were a few moments that instilled fear into you."

Jack was about to argue with the voice when suddenly brutal memories and images managed to surface through his head, all so crystal clear that he felt he was living them all over again.

_Ianto dying in his arms…_

_Sacrificing his grandson for the good of the Planet_

_Sacrificing so many children years before that…_

…_Seeing them again, hooked up as drugs to the four-five-six._

_Owen being shot through the heart_

_Owen being brought back only to resent him_

**"You get to live forever? Well, guess what, I get to die forever."**

Jack felt his heart twist within his chest. All those that he had lost, that he had sacrificed. And he had only run. He had run to the far sides of the Galaxy only to receive that note.

_His name's Alonso._

The Doctor was dying, he had to be. There was no other reason for that incredible mad-man to be in an inter-galactic bar giving an old friend pick-up line tips.

_Tosh and Owen dying_

_Tosh's blood was everywhere, coated everything. Owen saved the world and his body was finally destroyed._

"And what about the lovers in your past? Your precious Ianto wasn't the first. Who was there before?" the voice was dark and taunting as it continued to shoot Jack down with constant clips of his past. Jack felt his knees weaken as he fell to the ground. His body was numb but he could feel the tears bleeding through his eyes.

_Angelo_

"No!" Jack cried through gritted teeth. He tried to grip onto the concrete and pull himself up, but the memories were too painful. He couldn't feel his body in the dirt, only in the ghost of the footsteps he took in his mind. He watched like a ghost as his memories played in front of him. Every last one until he was paralysed on the ground.

"This game's been fun," the man chuckled, "but this is just the warm up. Now you know what I'm capable of."

Suddenly, a pair of leather shoes appeared by Jack's nose. He tried so hard to look up, but found himself without the strength.

"Think of all of those that you lost, unable to die, unable to go out with any of them. You're like the Doctor, but even he could die… even he regenerates. You're an impossible thing, Jack."

The last words sounded so familiar that Jack was given just enough strength to look into the eyes of his captor. And that's when he saw it.

Those eyes…

They were old eyes.

The Dream Lord grinned manically as Jack's mind made the connection, "the game isn't about your pain this time Jack… oh no. With you, I get to be creative. You're the fateful observer. You don't die, but you don't get out easy. Wait 'til you see what I have in store for your precious little friends." The Dream Lord grinned further as he looked up into the sky and raised his arms above his head, "wait 'til the Doctor joins the party. Oh, what fun then!" he laughed as he looked at Jack and rolled his eyes, "though he probably won't be in as good spirits as I'm used to."

Jack opened his mouth to speak but the Dream Lord shook his head and pouted. Just like that, Jack's lips clamped shut, forcing him into silence.

"Oh, no lip from you Mr. You have bigger fish to fry. Be careful, the big Bad Wolf is on the prowl and there's a little mouse chasing his tale with his wife running from the drums." The Dream Lord winked before he fizzled out of existence, though his final words hung in the air like a thick mist.

"_No one is safe."_


	5. Chapter 5

So, I'm back and with a new chapter no less! :) Thank you guys so much for your constant support and please make sure to **review **if you enjoy it, or if you have any suggestions or critisisms.

This chapter is going to revolve around... well, EVERYONE! I hope you like it, I've been working on this chapter when I should have _really_ been doing homework.

As always, I don't own Doctor Who. Trust me, if I did I would be starring in every episode ;) hehe.

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

The Dream Lord was quite impressed with his little prison. From plucking bits and bobs out of the Doctor's companions' minds he was able to construct a world that would seem familiar to them, but at the same time so very, _very _wrong. He closed his eyes then and visualised it all. His masterpiece and the game pieces that were running wild.

For now.

* * *

Martha let out a shocked gasp as she and Mickey fell to the floor, but instead of wood under their hands there was moist gravel. Martha squinted as she looked about herself, disorientated. It was dark outside and there was a thin mist from a rain that kept spitting in her face. "Where are we?" Martha asked as she struggled to her feet.

Mickey was already up, "never mind that," he snapped, "that bastard took my gun!"

Martha couldn't help but laugh half-heartedly, it was the only defence mechanism she had for this kind of situation. Ever since the year that never was, Martha always thought she'd be prepared for the worst of the worst happening, but this was just _too weird. _That man that had spoken to them had called himself…

"The Dream Lord," Martha muttered as she began to move forwards. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't really care. The place still looked like London minus the bustle of other people. There were still houses, but all the lights were out, there were still cars but they were all empty, even the ones that had seemingly been in mid-drive only moments beforehand.

Mickey grunted in agreement and began to follow his wife closely behind, "Who the Hell was that guy anyway? I mean… he didn't even really _exist… _did he?"

Martha rolled her eyes, "if the Doctor were here he would probably say something like 'nothing is impossible,' and I'd agree." Martha sunk her hands into her pockets and spun on her heels to face her husband, "but the Doctor's not here, we're on our own," she paused to glance around her surroundings and sighed, "quite _literally, _so the best thing to do is get on with it."

Mickey nodded, "I like the sound of that," he muttered as he took Martha's hand in his, "and we're not alone, Martha. We have each other."

Martha nodded vacantly as she stared out in front of her, "I wish that was enough."

* * *

The Dream Lord nodded approvingly as he opened his eyes once more. "Good, the loss of hope already so quickly into the game. I like it." He licked his upper lip and sighed, "But with that loss of hope comes a loss of opportunity, things must stay _fresh. _The fears must come later."

* * *

The Bad Wolf appeared on the London Street not moments after Martha and Mickey, but unlike the couple, she was unconcerned of the disorientation of a teleport. The Bad Wolf was powerful and it would take a lot more to weaken her. She glanced at her surroundings, seeing not only the street, but the atoms that it was made up of. The Bad Wolf took a step forward before she faltered, only slightly and only for such a short amount of time that a Human mind would not have even comprehended it. But it happened and somewhere from within, Rose could feel it too. A prisoner to her own mind, Rose thrashed to try and escape, but she couldn't. The Bad Wolf was too strong, nothing would stop her.

Except maybe the notion that something wasn't right.

The Bad Wolf could usually feel the Universe, _see _the Universe. The Bad Wolf could not only feel the turn of the Earth but the turn of _every _world that existed. She would see all that there was and all that there ever would be… but right there, standing on the street, the Bad Wolf felt nothing but her surroundings.

The Earth wasn't turning, the Universe was painfully quiet. There was suddenly no future of this world, no future for the people that were there. The Bad Wolf was blind to the Universe for the first time since time began… because the Bad Wolf wasn't _in _the Universe. Not anymore.

"The Dream Lord!" Rose cried through the Bad Wolf, but that was all she was able to say before the brightness that radiated from her body increased and her voice was lost. The Bad Wolf wouldn't stand for the petty human vessel speaking her mind. Right now, this world needed to be fixed. It needed to be brought back. And only the Bad Wolf could do this.

But she was _blind. _She was blind as her vessel screamed within her in so much agony. The Bad Wolf needed to feel to be of any use.

But then, as if it were a blessing, the Bad Wolf felt the presence of three others. Just three.

Mickey Smith, Martha Jones-Smith and Captain Jack Harkness.

Three people that the vessel knew. This was good, the Bad Wolf could feel the vessel's emotions and through that she was no longer blind. She could connect with their life signs and guide herself around this sorry excuse for a world. The Bad Wolf could do this; after all, she could do anything.

* * *

Jack lay on the floor, motionless. The voices and memories were fading from his mind, but he was still unable to move. He felt broken with all those things pushing against him. He could barely breathe. For the first time in a long time Captain Jack Harkness had actually _wished _to be killed. At least then he would have escaped the past if only for a few moments before reality laid her cold hand on his shoulder once more.

"_Mickey, wait! I think I see something!"_

A voice? Could it be? Was Jack not alone in this sick version of reality? Or was this just more memories… more voices of his past courtesy of the disembodied creature in his subconscious?

"_Oh God, its Jack! He's… he's alive."_

"_Well of course he's alive!"_

Was that…? No! Couldn't be, that was impossible. Two voices. Two voices that didn't sound broken or tortured, just filled with concern or perhaps ignorance on the male's part.

Hang on, had she said 'Mickey?'

Suddenly, there were warm fingers clasping around his shoulders as two pairs of hands lifted Jack onto his knees. Jack took in a gasp of needed breath, realising that he'd been suffocating himself from the stress of the memories. Everything blurred around him, but Jack clung on to the voices that he was hearing. The real voices. Martha… had to be! Who else could put up with Mickey Mouse?

"Jack, you idiot, don't give up on us now." Mickey said as he yanked Jack up into more of a standing position. Jack wavered dangerously and fell awkwardly against Mickey, but he was up. Martha and Mickey supported him carefully.

"Jack, Jack what happened?" Martha asked. Being a Doctor herself, Martha was always first to ask the questions. She assessed the immortal in front of her carefully. He wasn't injured, not _physically, _but the pain in Jack's old eyes told a story of mental fatigue. Something had been in his head.

"Jack, what happened? Who hurt you?" Martha asked, this time more calmly, her voice taking that of a medical superior. Jack would have grinned if he hadn't been so exhausted.

"Something," Jack muttered, "a guy… I think, eyes and… shoes, made me think things…" Jack paused to catch his breath as Mickey and Martha eased the immortal onto the pavement, "my past, he was putting me into my past." Jack shook his head, shocked with the flood emotion that overcame him. Suddenly he remembered the moment he had seen the man properly, if only for just a second.

His eyes.

"His eyes," Jack grabbed onto the cuff of Martha's shirt. Martha gasped in shock as Jack looked at her with such pleading eyes. He was… if it were possible… Jack was _afraid._

"They were old eyes," Jack breathed, "_The Doctor's _eyes."

"Not the Doctor though," Mickey said quickly.

"What?" Jack asked, shocked, "what do you mean, how do you know?"

Martha pursed her lips as she took Jack by the shoulders and guided his gaze back to her, "He told us," she said simply, seeking realisation from Jack, "he told us his name was the Dream Lord."

"Yeah and he doesn't exist, not really… he kept doin' this magic trick, like he could disappear and reappear wherever." Mickey said dismissively with a shrug.

"Teleportation?" Jack asked, but spoke to Martha only. He was still recovering. Flesh wounds healed almost instantaneously, but when it came to the mind… those wounds never really closed.

Martha shook her head, "not really," she bit her lip, "he turned like static… he didn't really touch anything… not unless he wanted to."

Jack's eyes flickered as he processed all the information. He nodded to himself, "Dream Lord… so he's a Lord of Dreams, he can control…" he blinked, realisation hitting him hard, "he can control the mind… our dreams!"

"He said that he was going to exploit our fears," Mickey added with an eye roll, "gave us Hell at our flat."

"And he took you here," Jack narrowed his eyes as he focused more on his surroundings, "does this place look familiar to you?"

Martha shrugged, "maybe, it looks like any street 'round where we live."

Mickey frowned, "no." he said, "no, it's not… it's not like where we live _now._"

Martha looked at Mickey with questioning eyes, "what are you talking about?"

Mickey stood up from the pavement and lifted his arms, "the houses, don't they look familiar? Martha… this is your old street, where your mum lives!"

Martha squinted, trying to focus. It was hard. Everything was dark and hazy around her, she hadn't really looked at everything, she'd just been trying to figure out how to get _out._

"Understand the environment…" Jack looked to Martha, "he's in our heads, he takes out information that should seem obvious to us and makes it hazy." Jack moved to stand up, but Martha brought him down, shaking her head.

"I'm fine." Jack insisted as he moved out of Martha's grip. He moved next to Mickey and breathed in a breath of the cold night air. He knew this air, the feel of it all too well, "this place looks like your hometown but has the atmosphere of a night I once worked in Cardiff, the night Gwen-" Jack cut himself off right then and there. The night Gwen Cooper had taken an interest in Torchwood, the night Gwen Cooper had seen the knife… the reason Gwen Cooper remembered Torchwood even after he administered her with Retcon. But Gwen was happy; she had a daughter to bring up. She insisted she'd keep in touch, but she had higher priorities and if Jack remained in New York, then she couldn't just simply visit him every other weekend.

Jack didn't speak any of this, but with the Dream Lord's favoured torture mechanism still fresh in his head, the memories became all too real for him. He decided to push the memory back, for the sake of his sanity.

Martha sat on the pavement silently as she processed what Jack had just said. Her eyes were vacant and glassy and for a second, Jack wondered whether the information was just too much for her to handle. Then, suddenly, as if she had never reacted like that in the first place, Martha Jones-Smith looked back up to Jack and Mickey and blew out a breath, "so none of this is real then?"

Jack shrugged, "we got teleported, not really the best known method of getting inside your head." Jack tapped his forehead as if to illustrate his point. He rolled his eyes and continued, "it could be a different reality, a world created by this _Dream Lord, _whatever that is… but the name, something tells me the Doctor would really be helpful in this kind of situation."

Mickey laughed gruffly, "maybe the guy's gonna stick the Doctor here too."

Martha's eyes glistened as she remembered the phone call, "I'm not sure about that."

Jack and Mickey both looked at Martha in the same instant, "what do you mean?" Jack implored.

Martha laughed half-heartedly as she remembered the conversation. She brushed herself down to stall for time before she moved over to Jack and her husband; "I tried to call the Doctor," Martha explained, "and for ages he didn't pick up but then after what felt like the _hundredth _time, this woman answered, she said her name was Amy."

Jack smiled slyly, "he really picks them up fast." He mused.

Martha shook her head, "_Listen. _She said the Doctor couldn't come to the phone and then suddenly there was this other voice, a man's… never caught his name. He said he wasn't the Doctor either and that he couldn't come to the phone because they didn't know where he was."

Jack frowned, "what did he mean?"

Martha shrugged, "that's what I didn't get. He said that the Doctor wasn't feeling himself."

Jack's mind sparked, "regeneration?" then he shook his head, expelling the thought as quickly as it had cropped up, "no… he can't have, not already."

Mickey nodded, "he came to you too?"

Jack looked at him, "oi," he frowned, slightly offended, "he knew me first."

Martha grinned, "Oh I _bet _he did."

Jack couldn't help but smirk to that prospect; still, he didn't have time to waste on his private fantasies, "he came to me at an alien bar, gave me the name of someone I wanted to chat up." Jack smiled at the fond memory, but then his eyes became graver, "he gave me this _look, _like, I dunno, it just told me everything I needed to know."

Martha nodded along, "he saved us from a Sontaran, but didn't even stick around to say hello, just looked at us." Martha looked over to Mickey, seeking comfort, and he was there for her before she'd even finished fully forming the thought. Mickey linked his fingers through her hand and she squeezed it, needing the reassurance, "we just knew." She said finally.

Jack nodded, sighing, "so something's wrong with the Doctor… or he's missing or…" Jack shrugged, unable to finish, "and now we're stuck here… in someone's sick game."

Martha sighed as she looked out at the dank London street, _h_er home, or at least a version of it; "now what?"

* * *

The Dream Lord laughed as he opened his eyes, "now?" He grinned, loving the question, loving the possibilities. He raised his arms with a determined smile, "now, you meet your first fear!"

* * *

Ever since the Doctor had found out who was behind Martha and Mickey's abduction, his health had worsened considerably. On the way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor didn't even fight the support that Amy and Rory gave him to get there. In fact, if anything, he relied on it.

The Doctor had now started to sneeze every few minutes which made him only the more frustrated. He really didn't have _time _to be sick when the Dream Lord had kidnapped his ex-companions. Still, Amy and Rory were growing worried for him. The Time Lord practically radiated heat and they both felt tempted to force the alien into bed, but at the same time they couldn't. They were forced to help him go on because they knew that if he didn't, his companions could suffer, but at the same time they were risking his health in trying to make him do the right thing – which in affect – made what they were making him do _not _the right thing. It was far too complicated.

Amy remained by the Doctor's side long after they had entered the TARDIS. Anyone could see the Time Lord was furious. Honestly, he had no idea what to do. Whatever was happening, it wasn't just run-of-the-mill Dream Lord trickery… he was more powerful, he _had _to be.

Amy rubbed the Doctor's shoulders in an attempt to alleviate some stress as Rory began pacing to and from the TARDIS console; "how is he doing this?" Rory wondered aloud.

The Doctor – who was leaning heavily against the console – looked up to meet Rory's gaze, "what do you mean?" he asked.

Rory frowned, "you know what I mean. The Dream Lord puts people to sleep and controls what they dream; you said he couldn't mess with reality."

The Doctor let out a breath, which led to a sneeze which then turned into a coughing fit. Amy gingerly patted the Doctor on the back, finding a rhythm that seemed to ease the fit if she applied it long enough. After the Doctor had returned to simply panting, she handed him a wad of tissues that she'd salvaged from the bathroom just after they'd re-boarded the TARDIS. The Doctor took them gratefully and blew his nose before looking back to Rory, "good question… and I'm not sure." The Doctor sighed, "not really got the mind to think about it and I _hate _not being able to think." The Doctor hit the side of his head, "I'm useless this way." He muttered.

For a brief moment, the Doctor was silent and Rory wondered whether that was his answer, but then suddenly the Time Lord picked up again, "The Dream Lord is part of me, but the psychic pollen is what turns him into a body. In theory, if my mind was weak enough, he could climb out without the use of psychic pollen."

"But there was pollen in the flat," Amy said, not quite sure if she was following.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed to Amy. Usually the gesture would have been followed through with a grin and an energetic sparkle in his eye, but the Doctor just didn't have the energy to force his usual mannerisms any more, "you're right," he said, "but in my theory, if the Dream Lord was strong enough, he could _create _the pollen which would make him able to go anywhere… as long as that anywhere has been in my head."

"That narrows it down," Rory said sarcastically, "I mean where _haven't _you been?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow, "can't even say the end of the Universe any more," he muttered to himself before stifling a cough. Amy was ready to start thumping his back again, but the Doctor raised his hand to stop her. "The Dream Lord is smart, I should know," he rolled his eyes to himself, "oh shut up, I'm sick," he muttered as he forced himself up into a straighter standing position, "what I'm trying to say is he wouldn't just go anywhere, he'd go to places that he'd know would hurt me."

Amy and Rory nodded along, "so people you've known in the past, your friends," Amy said, "Martha and Mickey…" she frowned, "but what will he do?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I don-_choo_" he groaned and rubbed his nose with another tissue before carrying on, "I don't know, but it won't be good. It never is."

"How do we find him, then?" Amy implored.

"I don't _know._" The last part of his sentence was so strong and filled with spite that Amy stepped back from the Doctor in shock. She'd seen the Doctor angry before, but after seeing the darkness that consumed him in Mercy, she didn't know how dark he was willing to go.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't helping him keep standing against the TARDIS. Rory could see that the Doctor was in no shape for this, he ideally needed to be resting, if the way his fringe stuck to his face in heaps of sweat wasn't enough, then the fact it looked like he was about ready to collapse was. "I-I'm sorry," the Doctor stuttered, unable to even keep his eyes open. Amy moved back next to the Doctor, any darkness in him was forgotten. He needed her help and Amy would never let her imaginary friend down. _Ever._

"You need to rest," Amy whispered into the Doctor's ear.

"I can't, haven't you been listening?" the Doctor hissed, coughing into his sleeve harshly.

Rory moved over to him, "you've been overlooking your symptoms. Whatever has happened to your friends, we won't be able to move further in the investigation if you can't think straight."

The Doctor shook his head, "No… I have to-"

"And what about the TARDIS?" Amy added, "you're making her sicker as well, even if we did find out where your friends were, how would we get to them?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to argue, but the couple were having none of it.

"Doctor, sometimes you have to sacrifice some time to make the rest of it more productive," Rory said as the couple grabbed the Doctor on either side. The Doctor would have protested if it wasn't for the fact that he could no longer walk without assistance. His body was drained and he didn't even know _why. _All he knew was that he needed to be of use, but somehow he didn't think resting was going to cut it.

Even as he was led away from the console room, he thought, just for a second, that he heard a dark laugh emanating somewhere from within his own mind.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Now, if you've been paying close enough attention, you might have noticed that I usually update once a week on Monday, next week is a half term holiday for moi and therefore I won't have school to keep me occupied. Hopefully I'll be getting two chapters in next week which will include the chapter that finally brings the old and new Who teams back together.

Thank you guys so much for your reviews and thank you **superlc529 **for pointing out a few of my mistakes. I have tried to correct them in this chapter, but I do believe I've probably missed out a few capitalisations here and there, so sorry if it makes you cringe! :) xx

I'm going to be daring and hope for **10 ****reviews** this week; probably won't happen but I feel like I should have some kind of review aim or something... haha. And of course thank you so much to all of those who have reviewed and of course to all of those who are reading and supporting this story!

As always, I don't own Doctor Who.

Until next week

xx

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Alright you big ship you, if there was any a better time to give us directions, _now _would be the time." Amy called up to the big ship as she and Rory practically dragged the Doctor down the hallway. The TARDIS whirred in response and for a moment, Amy thought that was all they were going to receive, then suddenly, the lights in the hallway flickered, urging them down a path.

Amy nodded, "alright, follow the lights," she said to Rory, her Scottish vigour all the more prominent in her determination.

Rory nodded in agreement with his wife as the two of them carefully balanced the Doctor's weight between them and guided him down the hallway, following the flickering lights.

By the time the three had reached the door, Amy was positive that the Doctor had managed to pass out. His legs were no longer moving in time with them, but simply being dragged with the momentum. Amy let out a sigh at the same time the TARDIS did. Obviously, the two women were in agreement on how badly the Doctor needed to rest.

As soon as the three were close enough, the door opened automatically, leaving the Doctor's bedroom in their wake. It was more or less how Amy had imagined it, the same décor as the main console room with about as many bookcases as the library along with bits of machinery that could honestly do _anything. _Amy rolled her eyes; it wasn't hard to believe that the Doctor was untidy. In _fact _the only thing that was well made up was the double bed that sat in the far corner, Amy wondered if it had even ever been used before. It hardly looked like it.

Still, with help from Rory, the couple managed to get the Doctor onto the bed and remove his shoes and jacket before Rory began to unfasten his bow tie.

Amy grimaced as she watched Rory remove it with the delicacy of performing a full-out operation; "He's gonna kill you when he comes 'round." Amy warned with the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

Rory shrugged, "He'll thank me when he doesn't end up choking on it."

Amy rolled her eyes, "He'll still kill you."

Once the couple had done all they could do under the current circumstances to make the Time Lord comfy, Rory moved over to the door and nodded to his wife, "I'll raid the med-bay and see if I can find anything _remotely _useful."

Amy nodded to her husband before she pulled up a TARDIS blue leather chair that sat a few feet from the bed and sat herself there. She drew the covers over the Doctor gently and then placed her hand in his. "I'll stay here," she said solemnly, biting her lip as she watched over her raggedy man.

Under normal circumstances, Rory would have felt intimidated by the way Amy was so quick to instigate physical contact with the twelve hundred year old Time Lord, but now, looking at him lying there so weak, he didn't care. The Doctor had – of course – been Amy's imaginary friend since she was seven and before he had joined her on their adventures, the two had been inseparable. If it was taking a toll on Rory to see the Doctor so _un-Doctor _like then he could only imagine how it was hitting Amy. Still, she sat there as strong and determined as ever and tried to do everything in her power to make him feel better.

Amy quickly located an en-suite bathroom and whilst Rory was busy finding any form of medication, she began to wet a few cloths and place them on the Doctor's forehead and chest. It wasn't as awkward as she had previously imagined to unbutton her imaginary friend's shirt and place the wash cloth on his bare chest, but she didn't question it. Instead, she swabbed at the Doctor's skin whenever he looked like he was in discomfort and made sure to keep a hand on him at all times. Through a few unconscious coughs, the Doctor would occasionally mutter something in a different language, completely unaware of his doing so. Amy found it rather sweet, but disconcerting at the same time. She worried whether his fever was higher or _too high. _She didn't even know what the norm was for a Time Lord. Still, she kept dabbing the Doctor with the cloth repeatedly, hoping that it would make some kind of difference to his condition.

It seemed to work as over time, the more she did it, the less the Doctor seemed to struggle in his sleep. At first, Amy had been almost positive he was having some kind of fever-induced nightmare due to his tossing and turning and frequent murmurs of things in other languages, however, on more than one occasion during the times when the Doctor's fleeting words remained in English, she caught a few names in the mix. Martha and Mickey, but also other people, someone called Jack, a woman called Donna and then very rarely and very weakly, the Doctor would mutter something under his breath about a rose.

He'd remained quiet for a while now and Amy was beginning to wonder whether that was a good or a bad thing. The Doctor's breathing was more relaxed, but she could easily hear the congestion through it. He'd rolled away from her, but Amy didn't mind. When the Doctor was peaceful, she just relaxed in the chair and watched him sleep. It was a rare if not almost non-existent privilege to see the Time Lord fully asleep after all. Maybe he really wasn't as alien as Amy had previously assumed.

Amy didn't know what was taking Rory so long with the medication, but as the minutes turned into hours, Amy began to feel a tad drowsy herself. She carefully brushed the sticky accumulation of hair from the Doctor's forehead and placed a hand there. He was still hot and sweaty, but even in his sleep, Amy could see him shivering. She began to think about all the places the Doctor had been, all the dangers, but even after being harmed in so many different physical ways, she'd never seen him _ill._

Then she began to think about Mercy and how suddenly the Doctor's behaviour had changed. The moment he knew who Jex was, the Doctor turned so quickly to violence, as if there was no other option. For just a second, Amy saw the oncoming storm within the Doctor's ancient eyes. She saw the reason why armies turned and ran at the sight of him; she understood why in some languages _Doctor _was translated directly to _warrior._

But that darkness wasn't him, not really. He was so much more than that. He was amazing and beautiful, a ball of fire and ice in a constant battle for dominance. But the fire was winning out.

Then she thought back to the apartment and remembered the Doctor's reaction to the psychic pollen. Her heart tightened just by thinking about _him. _The Dream Lord. And just by saying his name the Doctor had felt such revulsion, such _rage. _And then, it drained along with his energy and his _Doctor _personality.

She couldn't help but wonder, if not for just a second, _was the Dream Lord causing this?_

"You're right."

Amy almost yelped in surprise by the sound of the Doctor's voice. Once she had composed herself, she looked down and sure enough, the Doctor's hazy green eyes were looking up at her, almost expectantly. It took a moment for Amy to register what had just happened. She glanced at the Doctor, then at the hand that she had placed on his forehead and quickly whipped it away. "You read my mind." It wasn't a question, but the Doctor nodded very briskly anyway.

"Sorry," the Doctor murmured as he closed his eyes once more, the conversation tiring him out quite easily.

Amy rubbed her head and looked away, "No, I'm sorry. It's fine… it's fine."

The Doctor coughed dryly a few short times before returning his gaze back to Amy's, "You're right though," he croaked, "I was trying to figure it out, how the Dream Lord was stronger this time."

Amy nodded along, "And?" She urged.

"And…" the Doctor trailed off, gathering his thoughts before he was able to speak, "He's never been able to teleport people before, not from the real world and that's what we're assuming what happened." He paused for breath and closed his eyes before continuing, "I think he's stronger because he's feeding off of me." The Doctor opened his eyes once more, completely serious as he looked into Amy's gaze, "I gave him too much, now he wants more."

"Too much? Too much of what?" Amy asked, but she knew she wouldn't get an answer. The Doctor was already slipping back into unconsciousness, "Amy…" he managed to say ever so warily, "You have to… have to remember something," he scrunched his eyes up, confused by his own words. Amy wondered whether or not he was even coherent, but she cupped his flushed face in her cool fingers nonetheless, "What?" she asked, unable to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks, "Doctor, what is it?" she pursed her lips, her eyes turning glassy, "_Please._"

The Doctor let out a sigh and opened his eyes. He smiled at her weakly and lifted a hand to place on hers, "Remember… he's in control now, anything can be his." The Doctor winked at her before he closed his eyes again and returned to his sleep-like state, as if he had never been awake in the first place.

"Doctor?" Amy asked, frowning. "Doctor, what do you mean, _Doctor?_" after she gained no reply she sighed in defeat and shakily pressed her lips against his forehead before withdrawing. What did she do now? The Doctor had moved from cold symptoms to something much worse. She needed Rory.

_Where the Hell was he? Who takes two hours to find drugs in a med-bay? …It's hardly trying to find a needle in a haystack._

Her mind whirred with what she needed the most, some kind of distraction to get her mind off of the Doctor's eerie words.

The Dream Lord was in control because the Doctor had given him too much.

_Too much of what?_

"Please, help me!"

And that's when Amy's blood ran cold in her veins. A voice, oh such an _impossible _voice. Hadn't the Doctor promised her that she'd never hear that voice again?

Time lines are wibbly-wobbly, but that… _that _couldn't change. _Could it?_

Still, Amy turned around, much determined to face the voice that echoed from the hallway.

A little girl with dirty blonde curls and a pasty white face. She was afraid, because unlike most little girls, her monsters were real.

She leant against the doorframe with such agony in her little brown eyes; it hurt Amy too much to bear.

"Please," the girl begged again in the faintest twinge of an American accent as the first of many tears accumulated in her orbs, "Please save me from the spaceman."

* * *

The rain finally began to let up as Martha, Mickey and Jack made it to the end of the road.

"Is it just me, or has this taken longer than it should have?" Mickey grunted as he stared at the pavement's end as it bent round to the adjoining road. He tried to look for the post where the name of the road would have read, but there was nothing there.

"Probably because this world is playing like a dream, we could run as fast as we could but it might take the same time as crawling on our hands and knees." Jack said with a slight eye roll, "Doesn't matter though, it's all part of the _game _isn't it?"

Martha let out a sigh as they each in turn came to a stop at the new road. She squirmed uncomfortably for a moment before finally looking up to Jack with hopeful eyes, "Do you remember if the Dream Lord guy said anything to you… you know during…" she branched off, unable to finish. She could see Jack's eyes glisten with the pain of the memories that attacked him.

Jack shook his head, "He was surfacing so many memories…" Jack looked down to Martha, giving a grin that he hoped spelled 'I'm fine' across his face. Martha only saw pain, "I just don't remember, sorry."

Martha placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, "It's fine. We just need to figure this out."

"And how do we do that?" Mickey laughed sarcastically, "We're in a dream that isn't a dream, how do you get out of that?"

Martha was about to snap back at Mickey with some kind of 'think positively' speech when she was cut off by a very abrupt voice.

"_Find."_

Together, each companion shuddered. It was involuntary, like someone had run an ice cube down their spines at the exact same moment.

Martha was the first to recover, "Did you-"

"No." Jack cut Martha off, shaking his head back and forth, "That's…"

Martha wanted to say something to calm Jack, but she knew she couldn't. The fear that washed over his face was nothing she had ever seen. He was scared, but at the same time there was an air of relief to his features, like he was happy but he didn't exactly know _why._

Jack stumbled backwards and Mickey and Martha both held their arms out to catch the immortal, they still didn't trust his mental strength entirely.

"Jack?" Mickey asked, a little urgently, "What was it?"

"I heard it once before," Jack said slowly, "Back when I was… I'd been… I was dead."

"You die a lot," Mickey reminded.

Jack shook his head, frowning "No… I mean the first time I died. I'd been exterminated by a Dalek and I was brought back to-"

"-Life by Rose!" Martha choked out the last of Jack's sentence, "The Doctor told me… she absorbed the time vortex, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she turned into a freaky glowing God," Mickey added gruffly, but there was an undertone of fear to his voice. He remembered when Rose had told him about what had happened. She'd absorbed the TARDIS' very soul and with it she could see everything. But she wasn't really _her. _She was a God amongst the Universe with the power of creation and destruction at her very fingertips.

But no creature could ever be that powerful, not even a Time Lord.

It had been the very reason the ninth Doctor had become the tenth.

"_Seek."_

The three friends shuddered once more, but this time they knew why. The voice was beautiful and sleek like nothing they had ever heard. It was indescribable. But at the same time, it was bad, _very _bad. The voice of a God.

The voice of the Bad Wolf.

Rose was unable to move, but the Bad Wolf had been kind enough to give her sight. She could see through her eyes but at the terrible cost of feeling the ever-burning presence of the Bad Wolf where she should have been. The pain was unbearable, every time she thought it was about to numb away, it turned up a notch to such an excruciating extent that her mind went blank and she would find herself waking up God knows how long later, once more in pain. She couldn't escape the pain.

"_Seek."_

The Bad Wolf was unaware of how long this Human vessel would last. The man called the Dream Lord had brought her here, but it did not mean that she favoured him. She could see that he was not right. He was not made up of the atoms in the air, he wasn't living. He simply didn't exist. This confused the Bad Wolf and she couldn't stand to be confused. She had to know everything, that was her purpose. To be God.

But now the Bad Wolf had found the vessel's friends. This was good; she could see reality with the floating atoms nearby. The world around her was nothing more than a virtual map, but the Bad Wolf could feel the individual heartbeats of the three real things in this world. She locked on to that sound and used it as a way of navigation. She had to fix the world, but she had to use these three to do it.

"Rose!" Mickey and Jack said together.

Martha fell speechless. She hadn't been there the day Rose had absorbed the vortex and though Mickey and Jack hadn't seen it personally, they reacted as if they had seen it all before.

Martha stepped back in shock. It was her time to fall to the ground now. She'd seen so much beauty in the Universe and so much pain, but _that… _the glowing form of Rose Tyler, her skin luminescent and her body radiating time itself… she was encased in the Universe. Martha couldn't even tell if she was breathing. It was too much to bear. She was in the presence of a real-life God.

"Rose?" Jack asked unsurely as he approached the Bad Wolf. Even as he did so, he had to force himself not to recoil. Her power was so strong, it felt like an invisible force was inching its way inside of Jack and tearing him apart. But he refused to give in. He had to know.

Rose's eyes were absorbed in a golden light, completely blank of emotion. A single golden tear shimmered from her cheek, but that was the only pain the Bad Wolf would show. Not her pain of course, but the vessel's.

"_I seek to fix."_

Jack knew from the gasps behind him that he wasn't the only one having trouble listening to such a radiant, pure voice. This wasn't Rose, this was the Bad Wolf.

But Jack didn't give up, "Rose, if you can hear me, give me a sign."

Rose screamed from within the Bad Wolf. She wanted to reach out and touch Jack, but with the power of a God, she feared that trying to signal him would end up destroying him.

"Please," Rose begged from within, trying so hard to communicate with the being inside of her, "Please, let me speak."

"_Vessel is weak."_

Jack frowned, "what?" he asked.

"_Vessel is weak, must be preserved."_

"No!" Rose begged from inside, forcing it out into the Bad Wolf, she had to be heard. The Bad Wolf had no morals, no use of human sympathy; she would do whatever she saw fit to benefit herself, to right the world that she knew to be wrong.

"Jack!" She yelled, "Run!"

"_Jack!" _Jack blinked in surprise as Rose's voice suddenly bled through the Bad Wolf. Though the Bad Wolf didn't change, didn't show emotion, the voice was no longer hers. That was Rose, he'd know her voice from anywhere.

"_Run!"_

The Bad Wolf quickly halted the vessel from talking. She could feel the energy slowly draining from the Rose girl and she knew that was bad. The Bad Wolf had to be inside flesh and blood to control the world around her; otherwise she was a simple spirit, nothing more than an observer. She needed Rose alive, however these three friends… the ones the vessel communicated with… they were strong enough to use as guides. Perhaps they would be of use too.

Except for the one called Jack that stood in front of her. The Bad Wolf felt it even when she had been out of sight. Jack Harkness was wrong.

He stood there so proudly, so sure of himself, but the Bad Wolf knew the reasons for his strength. The Bad Wolf could see the past, present and futures of any living creature, especially humans. They were delightfully easy to read. This man was from the fifty first century, she could see his childhood, his family, his brother that was now lost to the world. She saw his workings, his establishments, Torchwood and his escapades with the Doctor and Rose Tyler. However, the Bad Wolf was missing a piece of key information. This man, this _impossible _man that stood before her was an immortal. He was human, but he was fixed. A _physical _and _biological _fixed point in time and space.

Impossible.

This made the Bad Wolf angry.

Rose could feel the sudden burst of rage from within the Bad Wolf and she knew that it wouldn't end well. Jack wasn't moving, even though she knew he had heard her scream for him to run. Same old Jack, his flirting skills kept him slow. He cared for Rose and he wouldn't abandon her, even if she _was _the Bad Wolf. Rose wanted to cry, but she knew the Bad Wolf wouldn't let her. Instead, she wept internally as she both felt and heard the thoughts the Bad Wolf was currently running through.

The Bad Wolf had come to a conclusion. The timeless, impossible man in front of her was a creation of her own. A mistake that had been created when her vessel had possessed free will. But Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf's vessel had only been human. She had sought to do what her emotions had told her and as a result she had brought a person back from death. Permanently. But Rose Tyler was no longer in control. The Bad Wolf knew this. There was only one logical thing to do.

Captain Jack Harkness had to die.


	7. Chapter 7

**ATTENTION TO READERS: MAKE SURE TO READ THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE FOR A SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE!**

_**Chapter 7**_

Rory had found the med-bay with relative ease. Obviously, the TARDIS understood what he was trying to do and even through her bating health, she had managed to move the med-bay to somewhere accessible. Rory was glad, but at the same time he had no idea what he was looking for. Over time, the Doctor had collected medications from several _hundred _Planets; all of them had different markings and different cabinets. There were spaces that had been filled with large scary looking machines that Rory could only take a guess at what they did. One was attached to a gurney, and from Rory's professional opinion, he guessed it was some kind of futuristic full-body scanner.

Being in a time machine, Rory knew it was going to be hard to tell what medication was actually in-date, but he also worried what medication a Time Lord was able to take. Different physiology could mean that some things that would cure a human could kill a Time Lord. He couldn't be too careful with anything.

Rory gingerly decided to take a whack at looking through a cabinet so he walked through the lengthy room towards the back where many cupboards were screwed to the wall. Rory opened them and began to rummage through. He saw boxes and bottles, syringes and liquids… but there was a problem.

From picking up the first box, Rory knew that this was bad.

All of the boxes were labelled in foreign languages. In every box's case, Rory only saw incomprehensible scribbles.

"The TARDIS translate," Rory muttered to himself as he rubbed his face in agitation. He could only have figured. The TARDIS was sick and weak and had only _barely _managed the trip into London. She was too weak to translate alien languages. That made Rory's stomach twist in horror. If the TARDIS couldn't even translate words… then how ill was the Doctor _really? _The alien had more or less been dragged to his room after all.

"Amy," Rory said under his breath. He'd left the Doctor with Amy! What if he'd gotten worse? What if Amy didn't know what to do? Rory had to go back there, at least just to check on them, but at the same time he didn't want his trip to be in vain. He searched the room for a box he'd seen on his way in. It had been filled with some small pieces of alien medical technology, but he did remember something that looked like a smaller version of the big medical scanner that stood to his left. Rory quickly located the box and fished out the small hand-held machine. If he couldn't cure the Doctor, maybe at least they could figure out what was wrong with him.

Rory was just about to turn and leave the room when he heard a wavering voice from the doorway.

"_Rory."_

Rory turned to face Amy Pond, his wife, his love. But she wasn't the Amy he knew. This woman stood tall and pale as she stared into Rory's eyes with a cold, heartless gaze. The Amy-that-wasn't-Amy let out a deep breath before speaking again, "Rory, I can't do this anymore."

Rory didn't know how to react. It should have been obvious that this woman couldn't have been Amy, but her words still felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "What?" He barely breathed, unable to move.

The not-Amy glowered at him before speaking once more, "I want a divorce."

"Melody?"

Amy had spoken the name before she'd even registered who she saw before her. The little girl from America, the little girl who was also her daughter… who would become brainwashed to kill the Doctor. The little girl who would become a psychopath.

Her _daughter._

_Melody Pond._

The little girl looked beaten and warn, her hair was dirty and messy like she'd been mistreated terribly. She'd been mistreated by Madame Kovarian. The woman that stole her child.

"You didn't come find me," Melody suddenly said. Her eyes were sullen as she looked up at her mother, "I waited for you, but you never came."

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by her daughter once more.

"I died all alone in the middle of New York," Melody frowned at her mother, "And you left me all alone to find you again. You didn't know who I was. You didn't _care. _You would have forgotten about me if I hadn't come!"

"No!" Amy argued weakly. She made an attempt to step forward towards her daughter, but the girl stepped back further into the hallway, tears cascading from her eyes, "How could I love you?" Melody asked bitterly, "How could I when you didn't even care enough to find me?"

"I tried!" Amy yelled, "I wanted to! The Doctor did everything!"

"But not you!" Melody yelled back, her voice accusing and filled with spite, "You let the Doctor look for me and he _failed!_"

"I would have, I swear!" Amy tried, but she knew she had no excuse. It was her fault Melody… _River _had turned out the way she had. She hadn't even tried to battle the Doctor; she had allowed him to go off on his own all summer to look for Melody. He had failed. Maybe he wouldn't have if Amy had been there too…

The Doctor was forced awake as a sudden rush of voices were hurled into his ears, bringing his headache back with vengeance. The Doctor struggled to stay conscious long enough to establish what was going on.

Amy was yelling at someone he couldn't quite make out. Some blurry person in the hallway.

Not Rory, though. This person was too small to be Rory.

A child?

_You let the Doctor look for me and he failed!_

An American accent, a little girl. Accusations, anger… forcing Amy into a swirling world of guilt and sorrow. Even in his weakened state, the Doctor knew what was going on.

Melody Pond was on board, except she wasn't. She wasn't real. Perhaps a residual effect from the Dream Lord's recent ventures through the TARDIS? Excess darkness from the psychic pollen was getting into their heads. Anything they felt guilty about… anything at all that gave them reason to fear.

Melody Pond… God, everyone felt guilty about little Melody Pond.

"I would have, I swear!"

Amy was talking now, but the Doctor could see that she was already slipping. Her voice was squeaking as she tried in vain to remain calm. She believed that Melody was real. He had to tell her, he had to break the spell.

The Doctor struggled to sit up; his head swam as the world began to spin around him. He blinked a little in rapid succession before he focused on Amy.

"Amy," he tried to call, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper, followed by a few hard coughs. He rubbed his chest subconsciously and tried to call her one more time, "Amy, it's not real."

From behind, Amy could hear the Doctor coughing, followed by a whisper of something along the lines of 'it's not real.' Well, of course it wasn't real. Melody couldn't _be _here. But for some reason she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"She-She's feeding from your pain," the Doctor managed through gritted teeth, "You've got to be stronger than her!" By the end of his sentence the Doctor was beginning to lose himself. Exhaustion was tearing at him, but he _had _to keep going. Amy was more important.

Amy shook her head as tears began to drip down her cheeks, "I-I can't look away," Amy murmured. She covered her mouth in surprise, "Oh my God, Doctor… I _can't._"

"You can, you just have to try." The Doctor pleaded.

"I _am _trying." Amy insisted, frustrated with herself. She couldn't stop looking at the child in front of her. Her little Melody.

"Where did you go mummy?" Melody asked, now her voice wasn't sweet and innocent, it was dark and taunting, much like how Amy had imagined her daughter would become in the company of a certain Madame Kovarian.

"Nowhere," Amy said before she could stop herself.

"Don't answer back!" the Doctor warned before stifling a cough.

"I can't help it," Amy whined as she curled her fingers into tight fists. She didn't know what to _do. _Her body was locked. She knew she couldn't move forward, but she didn't want to back away. She was _Melody, _but she wasn't…

"Mummy, why?" Melody had returned to pleading, her body sagged against the door frame as she became weaker in front of Amy.

Amy took a step forward, only knowing that she needed to be there for her.

"Amy, don't!" the Doctor cried, but his protests went unnoticed as Amy carried on forwards towards the little girl that was most certainly _not _Melody Pond.

Amy was moving towards the little girl. The Doctor didn't know what would happen if she touched the Dream Lord's creation, but he could take a guess that it wouldn't be good.

_If this is what was happening to Martha and Mickey… how could he ever forgive himself?_

That thought gave the Doctor a new-found strength which he used to pull himself up and off the bed. Amy was only inches away from the girl when the Doctor managed to grab her by the wrist and pull her away.

"No, let me go!" Amy tried, but she'd already fallen to her knees, her eyes leaking tears wildly.

"Just let it go," the Doctor coaxed as he fell to the ground with her. Amy leaned into the Doctor and finally, she closed her eyes and turned away from the little girl in front of her.

The Doctor held Amy tightly, but didn't break eye contact with the _thing _in the doorway. The little girl's eyes shifted and changed, and soon the Doctor wasn't looking at Melody Pond any more, but instead the child in front of them bore the ancient eyes of the Dream Lord.

"Pity," her lips moved, but the Dream Lord's sing-song voice came out instead, "Thought this might cause more damage than it did," the girl flashed a grin and looked down to Amy, "Still, did the trick didn't it? Now I have your attention, you poor sick slob you." The little girl began to fade away, but the Dream Lord's gaze never left the Doctor's, "Oh, by the by, I had a lot of fun with your little plastic soldier."

And then the Dream Lord vanished, leaving Amy in the Doctor's arms. She could feel the heat that radiated from the Time Lord and didn't miss his laboured breathing. She knew that what he had done couldn't have been good for him, but she also didn't miss what the Dream Lord had said before he vanished. And even with the Doctor's fading health, neither had he.

"Doctor," Amy whispered.

"I know." The Doctor breathed. He was feeling rather light headed and wasn't really sure whether he could trust himself to stand up, but Rory had been a part of this strange game the Dream Lord was playing too…

_Now I have your attention._

Surely the Dream Lord would have known he had grasped the Doctor's attention as soon as he had taken his friends, after all, they _were _still connected.

Unless…

"Oh my God, Rory!" Amy was suddenly struggling out of the Doctor's grip as she launched herself towards the doorway. She turned back to the ailing Time Lord, "Don't move!" she instructed with a firm finger point, "I don't want you sicker, I can handle this." Before the Doctor could speak back she put her finger to her lips and hushed him, "He's my husband," she said finally, and with a firm nod the ginger menace disappeared down the hallway.

Amy ran as fast as she could down the TARDIS hallways. Even as she ran, she knew that she was going to receive little help from the time machine. The TARDIS groaned unhealthily as Amy ran and she was almost certain she could feel an unnatural heat radiating from the walls.

"Just keep the rooms in the same place," Amy begged as she ran, "I can figure it out from there!"

"W-what are you talking about?" Rory stammered before he could even stop himself. What was he _saying? _That wasn't Amy… it couldn't be. It was too familiar to be real. Like a memory playing out.

"Rory, how can this work?" Amy's voice had picked up again, but it was as if the creature had learnt from its mistake. This time, instead of a hollow voice, there was real emotion bleeding through. It was almost believable. Then the Amy that wasn't Amy stepped forward and pointed at herself accusingly, "I can't have kids!"

Rory stepped back on instinct with his arms raised in surrender, "Amy… I- This isn't-"

"Nothing you can say can change it!" Amy yelled over him, tears began seeping from her eyes and suddenly, Rory forgot that this thing in front of him couldn't be Amy. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms.

"Rory!" Amy screamed as she rounded another corner. She wasn't entirely sure where she was any more, but she knew she couldn't just _stop_.

Rory frowned for a moment as a new voice reverberated through the hallways that led behind the not-Amy.

_Rory!_

"Amy!" Rory called, a little unsure of himself, "Amy, what's going on?"

"Rory, listen to me! Don't you care?" The other Amy had begun to talk once more, but the illusion was slowly fading. Rory was growing less interested in this Amy as the real Amy's voice grew louder from the hallway.

And then, just before the real Amy rounded the corner that would meet with her husband, the Amy that wasn't Amy turned to Rory with ancient age-old eyes and grinned, "You're no fun," the imposter Amy mocked with a sarcastic eye-roll, "The lone centurion who waited all those years for the love of his life… even when faced with divorce you don't even flinch." The not-Amy winked at him before disappearing completely, though her final words hung in the air even as Amy ran through the space that used to hold the imposter:

_I'll find your fears; just give me time Rory Williams._

"Rory, oh my God, Rory!" Amy called in relief as she ran into her husband's arms, "What was it, _who _was it?" Amy asked as Rory held her there.

Rory blinked in surprise, "It was you."

Amy froze for a moment before pulling away from him to look up into his confused stare, "You're afraid of _me_?"

Rory's eyes widened in surprise as his mouth fell open to correct her when suddenly the entire room began to tremble and shake, sending the couple into a heap on the floor.

Amy scrambled up onto her hands and knees as the floor still trembled unsteadily beneath them. Amy let out a tired huff, effectively lifting her ginger locks from her face, "Rory…" she began, glancing over to her husband who was strategically checking over some kind of machinery in his hands for any kind of damage.

"I didn't do it!" Rory said as he looked up to his wife, then his face fell, "But…"

Amy shook her head with a tired smile, "I told him to stay put!"

"You just left him on the floor?" Rory cried as he followed Amy unsteadily down the hallway. Every now and then the entire corridor would shake with a fierce vibration that would send the couple into the walls.

Amy didn't even bother to look back to her husband. They'd already checked the Doctor's room which had confirmed their previous thoughts.

He was gone.

And if he was gone and the TARDIS was _moving_ if not against her will… it really could only mean the Doctor was in one place.

"I was kinda busy!" Amy answered after a few moments of thought, "The Dream Lord showed me…" she branched off and shook her head, "Anyway, I figured he was doing the same to you and I… I had to make sure you were okay."

Rory couldn't help but smile towards that, but the inner nurse fought with him for dominance. "It was still incredibly irresponsible!" Rory argued.

"Oh and taking two hours in the med-bay isn't?"

Rory rolled his eyes, "I was kind of busy myself!"

"Yeah, but for _two hours!_" Amy cried as she finally turned towards her husband and halted in her speed walk towards the console room.

Rory opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He stood there for a second and thought back. There was _no way _he'd been gone two hours, "D'you remember when that thing… _House _took over the TARDIS?"

Amy was glowering at her husband with pent up rage but she still nodded firmly as she played with a piece of her loose hair, "Yeah."

Rory rolled his eyes and sighed, "The Dream Lord's obviously at work here, maybe he's changing how we perceive time."

Amy blinked in surprise. She hadn't even thought of that as a possibility. She'd been so preoccupied with worrying about the Doctor that she hadn't even thought that the Dream Lord could have been targeting them as well.

_He's in control now, anything can be his._

Amy gasped in shock, "The Doctor told me something… something I had to remember."

Rory nodded along, "What?"

Amy bit her lip, "Oh my God, Rory… he's in control. The Dream Lord is in control of everything… we've been spending all this time following the Doctor's friends but he's been watching us all this time!"

Then the halls began to shake once more sending Amy falling straight into Rory's arms. Amy scrambled away from him quickly and grabbed him by the wrist, forcing him down the corridor, "We have to get to the Doctor, _now._"

* * *

No, no, _NO! _This couldn't be happening. Jack was just standing there like the daft old man he was… completely dumbfounded. She was going to destroy him; she was _actually _going to destroy him. This wouldn't do, it was _too soon._

"Could be worse though," The Dream Lord reasoned with himself as he watched the scene play out before him. "Though I did promise the old boy I wouldn't be killing him… that's before I realised he could actually _die." _The Dream Lord bit his finger in deep thought, "In fact, this could create more chaos than I previously imagined." He grinned to that prospect and waved his hand towards the scene dismissively, "By all means, play on!"

* * *

Rose screamed from within the Bad Wolf with all her might. She was _stronger _than this. She'd been working for Torchwood for years, she'd battled all kinds of fierce atrocities of alien monsters on her own and she had always come out victorious. She had grown so _much _since her adventures with the Doctor, so why couldn't she control the beast now?

"Jack…" Martha warned unsurely. Mickey helped her to her feet as the couple watched as the Bad Wolf lifted one dainty finger towards Captain Jack's chest.

"_You are wrong._"

The words stung more than Jack could ever have thought possible. They were no longer smooth and soft but instead carried a hard ferocity with each syllable; Jack felt actual _pain _at the force of her words.

"Rose," he spoke softly as he backed away from the God's accusing finger, "If you're in there, listen to me, you can control this, you did it before, remember?"

Rose felt the pain consume her once more as the Bad Wolf raged from within. Her thoughts were all over Jack, all she wanted to do was end him so the world could be correct in her view once more.

But she'd controlled this beast before… Rose had destroyed all the Daleks and brought Jack back from extermination. She had been a _human _God and that was the beauty of it… she had the love to control the beast; she had the human emotions to keep her at bay.

Rose fought against the pain then, she'd been stupid, really, _really _thick. She'd spent the moment she became the Bad Wolf and onwards using her experience as a Torchwood operative when she should have been thinking back to all those years ago when she'd been fighting to get back to the Doctor. All those emotions of pain and fear for the man who took her away to a world she didn't think possible… he'd changed her life in so many ways and the emotion that had motivated her to get back to him had been the very reason she had tamed the beast.

_Feel that emotion again, Jack is your best friend. Remember when he swept you off your feet during the Blitz, remember when he saved Earth from that bomb. _

_Remember Cardiff. Remember the Slitheen._

_Remember Satellite Five._

The Bad Wolf could feel the change in her human shell before Rose had noticed it herself. The Bad Wolf took a step forward and swiped out at Jack, but Martha and Mickey were by his side, pulling him away. The Bad Wolf suddenly felt overwhelmed. The dormant mind of Rose Tyler was suddenly not-so dormant, she was fighting back. Against all the odds, Rose Tyler remained strong.

Jack watched in awe as the golden light that once obstructed Rose's features now complimented them. As the light dimmed, her skin was illuminated by a supernatural glow, but there she was, Rose Tyler, the beautiful and brilliant, dependable Rose Tyler.

"Jack," she breathed as the golden light that lingered in her eyes dimmed to that of a steadily burning fire instead of a raging furnace. Jack, Mickey and Martha were all by the girl's side as bright, golden tears trickled from her eyes.

Jack grinned, but it wasn't his famous 'Captain Jack' grin, that's what told Martha and Mickey all they needed to know. Rose Tyler wasn't in the clear yet.

Rose smiled to Jack and nodded to him weakly, "I saved you." She said simply before her legs gave way beneath her and she began to fall back.

"Whoa there!" Jack soothed as he cleared the space between them and grabbed her by the waist. Rose fell into his arms as Jack eased her onto the ground, "You've got to stay strong." Jack murmured into her ear, "Otherwise she'll take control again."

Rose let out a strangled whimper, a noise alien to Jack. He'd never heard such _pain _from Rose, a girl who was usually so strong and independent.

"It hurts Jack," Rose begged. She'd spent so much energy gaining control that now all she wanted to do was give it up, "You have to leave me… the Bad Wolf wants to kill you, she thinks you're a mistake."

"Let her try," Jack grinned, but his face fell as Rose let out another soft whimper, "C'mon Rose, stay with me."

"What do we do?" Martha asked as she wandered over to Jack feeling utterly lost, "That thing can't stay inside of her."

Mickey knelt down by Rose and took one of her hands in his as she began to writhe under Jack's grip. He hadn't seen her in so long and this… well this just broke his heart. "We can't do anything. The Doctor was the one who saved her and it killed him in the process."

Martha pursed her lips, eyes wide with unshed tears, "Well we could try-"

"-No." Jack cut her off as he held Rose tighter in his arms, "You'd have to have a direct telepathic link with the thing to take it away and none of us can do that. All we can do is hope for some kind of miracle."

* * *

The Dream Lord grinned, "New fears… fears for each other, now that's something I can work with!" He laughed to himself, "Who thought the one with the least to loose would be the very reason for all this _suffering_?"

He straightened his bow tie before leaving this scene behind him; "I wonder how my Doctor is taking his little hints." And with that said, The Dream Lord appeared as an invisible presence within the TARDIS. He leant against the front door as he watched his newest scene play out before him.

* * *

"Doctor!" Amy called for what felt like the millionth time. Her voice was raw and almost to the point of breaking by the time she finally came to a halt at the console room.

There was the Doctor, barely able to stand, but at the console nonetheless. No shoes, no jacket, no _bow tie, _but still as determined as ever to work his machine.

"Come on," the Doctor breathed as he rested his forehead against the monitor where some form of scan was in progress, "You can do it."

Amy and Rory ran over to the Doctor as soon as they took in his appearance. Still pale, still wheezing, still sick, yet he'd somehow managed to find the strength to get to console which could only mean one thing.

He'd figured something out.

Amy put a protective arm around the Doctor's back, "Doctor, what are you doing?" She asked a little urgently, worried at how long he'd last on two feet.

"Something I should have thought of a long time ago," The Doctor murmured as he managed to lift his head from the monitor to look at the screen; "I'm scanning the-" he broke off to cough, but Amy was there to help him through it as she both gently patted his back and supported him to stay upright. The Doctor looked to Amy gratefully before gesturing to the screen, "Where ever the Dream Lord goes he leaves psychic pollen residue, he doesn't need to, but he's chosen to. He left it in the doorway where you saw-" Amy shot him a meaningful look which more or less said _I don't care how sick you are, mention what I saw around Rory and I'll personally make sure you pay. _The Doctor respectively cut himself off and moved on, "That leaves a direct link from the residue he left here in the TARDIS to his next destination which would be-"

"-Which would be where your friends are!" Amy smiled gladly, this was good, they had a way to get to Martha and Mickey! "Rory, isn't that great?" Amy turned to her husband who had been more or less zoned out and was once more fiddling with the piece of machinery he had been toying with back at the med bay. "Rory?" Amy asked unsurely.

"Huh?" Rory looked up and shrugged dismissively, "Sorry," he said, looking at the machine, "It's just… I found this," he lowered his voice and looked back to the Doctor who was either too tired or too absorbed in getting the TARDIS to cooperate to notice any small-talk going on between the couple. He let his shoulders sag and ushered Amy over to him. She complied.

"What is it?" Amy asked as she peered over Rory's shoulder to look at the device.

"It's a medical scanner," Rory said, then frowned, "I think." He shook his head, "The thing is, I used it to scan the Doctor while he was talking to you and well… if I'm right, the thing is supposed to say what's wrong with someone."

"Then what's wrong with him?" Amy asked a little too quickly, she calmed herself and bit her lip, "Is it something we can cure?"

Rory shook his head, "That's just the thing, at first it gave off some readings… not sure what it said, it wasn't in English but afterwards it just went static, like whatever it found disappeared again… it did it three times and… yeah _look, _it's doing it again." Rory pointed to the screen where suddenly a bunch of foreign readings began to dot themselves along the screen before quickly blanking out and turning to nothing.

Amy frowned at the device and was about to ask about it when the console room began to shake violently which once more sent the couple to their knees. The Doctor had managed to brace himself against the console, but the way his face paled proved to the couple that it didn't do any good for him.

"Are we moving?" Amy asked, ignoring the strange machine long enough to understand what was going on with the _bigger, stranger _machine that she had called a home.

The Doctor shook his head, blanching even more with the action, "She's having trouble getting the readings," he explained weakly as he tapped the monitor, "Problem is, she has to get to this place… wherever it is once she finds it."

Amy was torn between understanding the machine and comforting the Doctor. He really was in no shape for this, but she couldn't stop him when there was no telling what the Dream Lord was doing to his friends. At the same time, if the Dream Lord was purposely giving them directions, it was almost too obvious that it was going to be a trap, so what was the Doctor thinking… or was he _even _thinking? Was he just too sick to see the obvious?

The TARDIS groaned in protest as she locked onto a location. The Doctor grinned, a sparkle showing in his eye that Amy had thought might never return. "Gotcha," He smiled as he pulled a lever to his right. Though his head was hammering, though his body was weak beyond all compare, he still managed to turn to his companions with a dark kind of glee, "Might want to hold onto something," he informed with a smile, "This is going to be one Hell of a bumpy ride."

* * *

Just as the words had left Captain Jack's lips, a chorus of joyful cackles filled the night air. Before he had even appeared, all of the friends knew who was about to arrive.

"A miracle, eh?" The Dream Lord pressed a finger to his lip in mocked thought, "Well I'd be nothing but uncaring if I wasn't to agree."

"This is all _your _fault!" Mickey growled as he stood away from Rose and moved towards the Dream Lord.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The Dream Lord warned as he fizzled out and reappeared on the other side of Mickey, "Remember who's in control."

"Drop it Mickey," Martha called weakly from where she was knelt next to the convulsing Rose, "What'll it do?"

Mickey raised his fist aggressively towards the entity, "It'll make me feel a Hell of a lot better!"

"Oh, but I thought you wanted help." The Dream Lord grinned, pointing to himself as if to answer all, "The party's only just getting started and we're missing a very _important _guest."

As he spoke the words, Rose let out a strangled cry, "Oh my God, Jack you gotta run," she pleaded as she hung onto the hem of his trench coat, "The Bad Wolf… I can feel her… she's getting stronger!"

"How?" Jack demanded softly to Rose and then repeated the question stronger and sharper to the Dream Lord, _"How?"_

The Dream Lord whistled an alien tune and pointed to the sky, "Look up, that's the only clue I'll give you." He said in a sing song voice before waving to his game pieces and disappearing from sight.

Martha looked to the sky and then to her husband who was grudgingly moving back to the group, "What did he mean?" She asked.

"Rose?" Jack asked. He knew it was a long-shot, but Rose could feel the Bad Wolf. Whatever was making her stronger, Rose would know the cause.

Rose closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath before letting out a choked laugh, "Oh, it would have to be, wouldn't it?" She grinned weakly before her eyebrows knitted together again as the pain of the Bad Wolf resurfacing overtook her better judgement.

"Rose, what's coming?" Jack asked, a little stronger this time as he shook the frail girl in his arms as gently as he could.

Rose opened her eyes to slits as she looked into Jack's ancient gaze, "Listen," she whispered before the Bad Wolf began to take a firmer hold and her consciousness was lost.

"Listen to what?" But before Jack could carry on speaking, his question was answered.

_VWHOORP VWHOORP_

The familiar sound of the TARDIS engines took to the air around them as the three friends looked to the sky and took a breath of the familiarity. Finally, their miracle was here.

Or was it?

The engines sounded – if it were possible – more strained than usual and there were no signs of a materialisation in progress. Just the sound getting louder and louder until…

"Look out!" Mickey yelled as everyone ducked on instinct. The TARDIS appeared in an explosion of blue light from the centre of the sky, spinning wildly out of control and narrowly missing the heads of the three companions.

Everyone but Rose gaped in horror as the TARDIS was hurled to the ground with an almighty _crash _which seemed to resonate around the companions eerily. No one could move, they scarcely even breathed. The TARDIS had crash landed which could mean a handful of things for the fate of their beloved Doctor.

Mickey, Martha and Jack could only stare in shock at the smoking blue box in the centre of the virtual concrete road.

* * *

**HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE**

**Well hi guys! Considering it's Halloween (my favourite holiday!) I've decided to make a special challenge. As this chapter took me so bloody long to write, I want your help with the next one! In the reviews I want you to give me your ideas on how you want Mickey, Martha, Jack and Rose to react to the Doctor and Amy and Rory's reactions to the Doctor's past companions. It can be humorous or - of course - deadly serious considering the circumstances. Any ideas I use, I will make sure to mention you in the next Author's Notes and if you have any fanfictions of your own, I'll promote them in my Author's Notes and read them myself, because that's how much you guys mean to me. :3 So get creative, because you might just be responsible for the next chapter of The Doctor's Battle!**

**Thank you all so much for your constant support, I don't own Doctor Who, and make sure to review! xXx**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Well howdy everybody! ...Heh, I have some explaining to do, don't I? How long ahs it been... like three months? Sorry! I've had some family problems over these past few months coupled with a lot of exam stress which together have equalled NO time for writing. BUT. I have finally managed to come out with a new chapter AND the winners of my little Halloween contest!**_

_**THANK YOU so much to: **_

_** Barefoot Beach Bum and ObsessiveWeirdo (love your usernames by the way) for help on some of my dialogue between Rose and the Doctor and for helping me develop my ideas on the relationships the characters would gain with each other. If you want me to read anything of yours and review I'll make sure to do that ASAP.**_

_**Also a special thanks to DoctorandAmyFan97**__**I will be adapting some of your ideas in my next chapter, so if you also want me to read anything of yours, I'll be sure to do so!**_

_**I won't lie, this chapter has been stressful and been worked on solely in the early hours of the morning, so it might not be the best peice of literature ever, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. Thank you guys so much for supporting me despite this three month break. I don't know when I'll be able to come out with the next chapter, but there's a possibility you'll have to wait until early Feb. SORRY!**_

_**Once again, thank you and please don't forget to review. :) xXx See you next time! xXx**_

_**(Also, because so many of you wanted Jack to kiss someone... *ahem* well, just wait and read...)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

At first no one knew what to do. Despite all of the things that had happened to them that day, _this _seemed the most surreal. Standing just twenty feet away from them was the three foot crater that held the TARDIS. It lay on its side, smoking from the edges eerily. The silence was terrifying as everyone waited for something to happen. Despite the crash-landing, everyone secretly hoped that the TARDIS doors would open and out would pop the Doctor, there to solve all of their problems.

Except, no matter how they looked at it, the man that came out of the TARDIS wouldn't be the Doctor that they all knew and loved.

"Help me up!"

Jack stared down in shock to see Rose struggling in his grip, "I wanna see him," she said in the strongest voice she could muster. Jack looked to Rose in disbelief, "But the Bad Wolf-"

"-Is under control at the moment," Rose countered as she hauled herself onto two unsteady legs, "I just… I need to see him."

It was Martha's turn to look in disbelief at the anomaly that was Rose Tyler. Though her medical skills didn't cover other-worldly possessions, she knew that Rose wasn't 'under control.' Her body still glowed in the way that the Bad Wolf had and her irises still shone bright gold, as for her physical capabilities, she'd been writhing on the floor not minutes beforehand and even now she was barely standing, but clearly making sure not to lean on Jack she noticed.

"Rose, even if you did see him you should know…" Martha began, but Jack cut her off, like she needed to hear it from a closer friend. It hurt Martha, but she knew she had to let it go, Jack and Rose did go back after all.

"The Doctor regenerated." Jack said quickly.

"I know," Rose said without even pausing. Everyone rushed towards her to keep her at bay.

"You do?" Mickey asked in disbelief, "How?"

Rose shook her head, she didn't really have time to go into the whole complex relationship she had with the meta-crisis Doctor, nor did she really want to. She didn't know how Mickey would react to _that_ kind of news. "Doesn't matter," Rose snapped as she tried to struggle through her friends to reach the TARDIS, "Unless he's regenerated again, this can't be regeneration sickness."

"Sickness?" Martha asked curiously as she followed close behind Jack as the three friends once again closed around Rose.

"I've heard of that…" Jack said slowly, "Each regeneration can affect a Time Lord differently."

Rose nodded in agreement, "Remember that big Sycorax ship over London at Christmas a few years back?"

Everyone nodded, except Mickey who knew where this was going.

"The Doctor had just regenerated then," Rose explained as she moved around her friends once more, biting back the emotions that seemed to resurface as she recalled the event, "That's why Torchwood was informed in the first place." She glanced to Jack who paled in response. Still, Rose shook her head, "But it's not that." She said sternly as she finally stopped a few feet from the smoking TARDIS. She blinked away the sudden tears in her eyes, "It looks worse close up." She muttered as she wavered ever so slightly. Jack was right beside her just in case, still warily looking at her up and down. He didn't know what was going on with Rose or the _Bad Wolf, _but he worried that it might return at any given moment.

From within the TARDIS, smoke gathered as the console sparked uncontrollably. Everything was bathed in a cloud of sparks and gas as the occupants of the TARDIS tried in vain to remain _somewhat _upright. Amy and Rory both clung to the railings of the TARDIS for dear life while the Doctor had managed to manoeuvre himself in a way that allowed him to hang onto the console so he could right the problem.

"What in the Hell _happened?_" Amy cried as she yelped as her fingers nearly slipped from the railings. Rory quickly grabbed her around the waist with his free arm, effectively pulling her upright again.

"What?" the Doctor asked, trying to sound as much as his normal self as possible through a round of coughs he was unable to stifle, "Have you never crashed before?"

Amy barely disguised an eye roll as the Doctor flipped some switches and pressed a few buttons, "work with me here, dear." The Doctor begged weakly. The smoke wasn't helping his cough and he was finding it harder to concentrate, but he _needed _to do this. The TARDIS _had _to co-operate.

The console sparked again and another unhealthy plume of smoke made itself evident before the TARDIS groaned in a weak protest. Still, slowly but surely the centre of the console began to rise and fall once more as the TARDIS made an attempt to dematerialise.

"What's happening now?" Amy demanded, coughing herself as the smoke made its way into her lungs.

"Hopefully." The Doctor said, raising an arm, "hopefully, she's going to right herself."

"Get back!" Mickey and Jack said together as they each pulled the girls away from the TARDIS. Martha and Rose gasped in surprise as the ship began to whir once more, fading in and out of existence.

"Something isn't right." Mickey said as he watched the TARDIS protest, "it's taking longer than usual."

Martha frowned, "and what's with that _noise?_"

Rose shivered involuntarily, because somewhere deep within, the Bad Wolf shivered with her. The Bad Wolf felt the TARDIS for just a moment and in that moment; it hurt Rose to the very core. "It's sick." She whispered.

Slowly but surely, the TARDIS began to right itself. It faded from view for a few moments just to appear upright again in the same crater that it had crashed. Each ex-companion let out heavy sighs of relief. Whatever had happened to the TARDIS didn't matter, because if it had managed to correct its landing, then only one man would have been capable of doing so.

"What should we do?" Martha asked a little unsurely, "I mean… should we knock?"

"What do you think he'll look like?" Mickey speculated.

Jack smiled a little too eagerly in response, "I can only imagine." He said softly, biting his lip ever so slightly. Mickey stifled an eye roll.

Suddenly, the TARDIS groaned once more as the deep blue doors of the time machine were pried open and a startled young man stood in its wake.

No one spoke for what felt like eternity, when Captain Jack chose to break the silence, "Doctor?" he asked.

The man opened his mouth to speak; only to be cut off rather abruptly as Jack's lips met his, winding his arms around the man. A squeal of surprise came from the man before Jack pulled away a little too quickly.

"_Rory!"_

Jack flushed almost instantly as he heard and then saw a young ginger woman not inches behind him, her face a mask of pure shock, not much different from the man – _Rory – _who he had just kissed, perhaps a little_ too_ passionately.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as Mickey, Rose and Martha did their best to hide their laughter as the ginger woman pushed Rory out of the way and took his place, "who the _Hell _do you think you are kissing my _husband _like that?"

"Husband?" Jack repeated, looking from the rather good looking ginger haired woman to the big nosed fellow who still hadn't spoken yet, eyes wide with a shock he'd probably take time recovering from.

"How many times have you been in this position, eh Jack?" Mickey asked with a smirk as the girls couldn't cover their chuckles any longer and burst out laughing, tears shimmering in their eyes.

Amy was none too amused by what was happening before her, but she didn't really have much time to absorb what had just happened. It didn't matter anyway. This _Jack _must have been another of the Doctor's friends, she recalled him muttering his name in his sleep, however such a man certainly didn't seem _worth _remembering. Although he was good looking… well _very _good looking, with dark hair and mischievous eyes, a very _defined _chin and a long dark blue trench coat that… Amy had to blink a few times to refrain herself from thinking further of this man's features. No. He'd kissed her Rory and even though it might have been a mistake, she already disliked the man for making it to that point in the first place.

She had little time to dwindle on these thoughts however, as the Doctor's coughing echoed from behind her, where he was still leaning heavily against the console. Though he'd managed to both get the time machine upright once more _and _call the aid of the extractor fans, the fact he'd instructed Rory to check what was outside proved to Amy that he had really done himself in this time. She knew it was taking him longer to recover as his head was still facing the console, his breathing coming out in unsteady pants as his fringe stuck wildly over his eyes and forehead. Amy wanted nothing more than to return to him, but she didn't want to leave the group of people that stood in front of her. Instead she turned to Rory, "check on him." She said quietly. Rory blinked, coming out of his shocked trance long enough to nod to Amy and rush over to the Doctor's side.

Amy turned back to the group of people she assumed to be the Doctor's friends. If the man who had kissed her Rory had identified himself as Jack then she could only assume the other man was Mickey and the woman that was holding his hand was Martha. That just left the last blonde woman uncalled for. She'd recovered from laughing at Mickey's joke first, and was now staring intently past Amy's shoulder, further into the TARDIS. Amy felt uneasy about the way she was doing this, but didn't have the heart to shoot her down; after all she _did _look worried.

"The TARDIS," the woman suddenly said, as if addressing everyone, "its… sick."

Amy frowned. How did _she _know that? Come to think of it… as the woman took note of the TARDIS' condition, her skin began to glow an unnatural golden colour. Amy felt herself stepping back in surprise.

The woman held her torso in a sudden lapse of pain as Jack moved towards her and held her steady, "you okay?" he asked. Amy could hear the careful tone he spoke in and realised that he just might not be the brute she had previously considered him to be. It seemed he cared for the blonde woman in a way only someone with a past could achieve. Obviously, the two had history.

The woman simply ignored Jack, however, "it is though, isn't it?" she asked only Amy this time. Amy could only nod in response.

This seemed to be all the glowing woman needed. She easily wriggled away from Jack and moved towards the door, "Does that mean… I mean, does that mean that the Doctor…"

"Yes." Amy found herself saying before she even knew why. This woman obviously knew more than she should, but for some reason Amy found herself trusting her without a single doubt.

This made the woman's shoulders sag in response, "Can I…" she paused and gestured to the group of friends, who were now staring, baffled at Amy as the conversation carried on, "can _we _see him?"

Amy didn't know what to say. She knew she had to say _something. _She opened her mouth in a futile attempt to speak, but before any words came, she felt two sturdy hands on her back.

The Doctor had taken longer to recover, but after some deep breathing as instructed by nurse Rory, the Doctor managed to assure him that he was able to take the awkward meeting phase off of Amy's hands. Rory had tried to advise the Doctor that he wasn't exactly looking _himself _at the moment, worried that his friends – even the one who had kissed him – may be a little shocked but the Doctor simply shrugged off Rory's concerns, "they've seen me in worse shape." The Doctor croaked, clearing his throat defiantly as he moved to the doorway where Amy was standing.

As soon as the Doctor placed his hands on Amy's shoulders, he could already see the mass of blonde hair standing tall against his other ex-companions. His hearts instantly sank.

Amy stood to his side, but didn't leave; though he'd given her a look that assured her he would be fine on his own, Amy wasn't having any of it. Instead, she carefully wound her arm around the Doctor's waist and kept him close so he wouldn't fall.

The Doctor paled further upon setting eyes upon the blonde. Her skin was practically luminescent, but he knew that wasn't just natural joy, he knew because of the way Jack looked at her warily, he knew because he could sense the very essence of the Bad Wolf within her, even in his weakened state.

"Rose?" He managed after a few moments of silence.

Rose couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she wavered slightly where she stood. She looked at the man in front of him, though so very different from the one she once knew, she could still _feel _it was him. Though, he wasn't in very good condition, she could see that much. His forehead glistened with sweat and his chest heaved unhealthily as he coughed a few times under his breath. Rose was right to assume that the TARDIS was only sick because _he _was, even if she didn't know why. "Doctor." She said, hesitantly taking a step forward before she wrapped her arms around the Time Lord and pulled him in close. In that instant, Amy took a step away, unsure of the woman – Rose's – motives.

The Doctor smiled, "Rose," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her in turn.

"New, new, new Doctor eh?" she joked as the Doctor laughed.

It didn't take long for everyone to join in with the hug and soon everyone began talking all at once.

The Doctor only caught half of what everyone was saying.

_Dream Lord_

_Bad Wolf_

_Hallucinations_

_Another dimension_

The words swam in the Doctor's head and he had to fight to keep from falling over. He was glad that Amy had pulled him back to her side; he didn't think he would have been able to stand alone.

"Oi, that's enough!" Amy snapped vehemently, "I think you've all established that he's sick, so _please, _give him room!"

Mickey grinned, "I like her."

Amy nodded rigidly, "thanks," she said, before Rory suddenly appeared behind the two.

"Who said that?" he asked, a hint of jealously in his tone.

"Oh be quiet, stupid and help me out here."

The Doctor hadn't quite noticed how close he had been to toppling over until he felt Rory take his other side and straighten him out.

Martha instantly stepped forward. During their 'group hug,' she'd felt the excessive heat coming from the Time Lord and as a Doctor herself, she instantly wanted to help. "Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked as she came closer, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand, "what are your symptoms?"

Amy frowned, "hold on a minute, I think some introductions are in order here."

"Oh," The Doctor looked from the companions holding him up to the companions in his doorway, with expressions holding a mixture of worry and excitement on their faces. He rolled his eyes, "_fine, _Amy, Rory, these are Mickey, Martha, Rose and Jack."

"Hey," Jack's eyes glinted mischievously as he took Amy's spare hand in his, "that's _Captain _Jack Harkness."

"Oh would you behave?" The Doctor sighed.

"Oh, so even this body won't put up with me, eh?" Jack raised his eye brows, "Shame, I thought I'd be getting someone a little easier to _work _with."

Amy frowned as she let go of Jack's hand a little forcefully, "is there something wrong with him?" she asked.

Mickey barked out a laugh in response as Jack moved his gaze to Rory, "oh, and sorry for that kiss earlier, handsome, I'd been saving my lips for someone _else._"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, he hadn't realised that he could even _gain_ a worse headache than he already had, of course, he might have also underestimated Jack's natural charms.

"And everyone else, this is Amy and Rory." The Doctor finished before cutting himself off as another coughing fit attacked his system.

Together, everyone agreed that it was for the best to move the Doctor back inside the TARDIS and with the wavering energy the Doctor had left; he could do little to refuse. Martha made her way in alongside the Doctor, checking his vitals as soon as Amy and Rory had planted him on the cream Captain's chair by the console.

"His symptoms have been cold-like, but have been moving more into the flu boundary," Rory informed Martha, extending a hand, "nice to meet you, I'm _nurse _Rory Williams." Martha smiled and shook his hand, "seems the Doctor's making a habit of taking people with medical professions out on his adventures," she joked.

Rory rolled his eyes, "tell me about it, the amount of times I've had to patch this man up." The two began laughing and the Doctor couldn't help but scowl as he leant into the chair. This was worse than the time Martha had met _Donna_ for the first time.

It hadn't taken Jack and Mickey long at all to begin checking out the TARDIS interior as Martha and Rory worked on the Doctor which left Amy and Rose standing next to each other awkwardly. "So…" Amy finally said, breaking the silence, "what's with the…" she gestured to Roses' glowing skin. Rose smiled, leaning against the console ever so slightly for support, "let's just say the Dream Lord may have control over this world of his, but he'll never have full control over _me._" Amy smiled in response. The Rose girl was strong, she liked that. In fact, the more she studied all the people that suddenly crowded the Doctor's TARDIS, the more she realised how each one was so _nice… _so worthy of being a companion in the TARDIS. She was finding it hard to feel jealous at all.

Well, of course there _was _still that pang of anger towards Jack. His charm didn't get past _her. _Not as easily as he probably wished.

At the exact moment the thought struck her mind did the TARDIS suddenly groan in complaint. Amy and Rose instantly turned to the Doctor, however he didn't look like he'd suddenly worsened, in fact he was staring, just as alert at the console.

Suddenly, laughter echoed throughout the TARDIS. A laugh that everyone was familiar with. Together, each companion shivered as the console room was bathed in darkness.

That was when the Dream Lord took control.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, I had some free time during my revision and I've managed to cook up another chapter. Sadly, this week IS my exam week so I don't think I'll have time to write again for the rest of the week... maybe not even the week after next. I didn't want to disappoint anyone, so that's why I have this chapter. It's quite short and doesn't really do much except introduce the next 'game' of sorts, but I still hope you like it.

Also, I will be bringing **Donna** in shortly, but I've been wondering if any of you have any **ideas** about it? When she appears, a handful of things could happen. She could regain her memory and set off that 'defense' mechanism she's got going on in her head, or maybe she'll be able to have a civil conversation with the Doctor considering his change of face, maybe she could become the DoctorDonna again! Any ideas, I'd be more than happy to consider them!

Once again, thank you **SO MUCH **for all of your constant support. I really love you guys! I'm hoping by the end of this story I'll be able to hit **100 reviews**, (we can all dream.) Anyway, enough of this, let's get on with the story!

Oh... right, I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Martha sucked in a breath to keep from crying out loud as the lights went out throughout the console room.

"My, my, my, you've been such a helping hand for our Doctor here, haven't you?"

Martha narrowed her eyes towards the voice. Around her, everything was silent. She couldn't detect the presence of anyone else. She assumed it must have been another of the Dream Lord's tricks, however this time she was _prepared. _She wasn't going to go down without a fight, not when she knew the extent of the problem now. The Doctor was in no condition to be saving anyone. It was up to the companions and Martha Jones-Smith was ready.

Martha stood perfectly rigid and remained silent, clenching her fists smoothly.

"Oh, no lip? That's a pleasant change." The Dream Lord's voice was taunting and cruel as it seemed to echo all around her. Still, Martha didn't speak.

"Well, this is certainly boring." The Dream Lord chuckled with dark intent, "Luckily for you, dear Martha, I can change that with a _snap._"

Martha frowned, but didn't move. Instead she moved her eyes around the darkness that surrounded her, hoping to find some form of light that she could find her bearings with.

But then… before she could properly focus, a new noise bled through the darkness.

_One two three four, one two three four, one two three four!_

Martha couldn't help the gasp of shock that left her mouth as the Master's voice suddenly entered her mind.

"Martha Jones; long time no see."

A smile made up of malicious teeth glowed in the darkness as the Master's age-old features appeared inches before her face.

Only then did Martha scream.

"Doctor, Doctor!"

"Yes, what?"

"The lights…"

There was a congested sigh from the corner, "Yes, I think I noticed."

"This new you seems easier to agitate; I'll be having fun with that later."

The heavy sigh that followed Jack's cheeky words was enough to lift the atmosphere slightly as everyone tried to remain calm through the darkness.

"Is the Dream Lord here?" Rory asked hesitantly.

The Doctor felt exhausted and the darkness wasn't really helping his situation, but he had to keep ahead of this. The Dream Lord was part of him, and though he hadn't exactly had the time to explain this to his old companions as of yet, on some level he figured they already knew. Still, because of this connection, the Doctor was always very aware of the Dream Lord's presence, especially within his own TARDIS. The Doctor shook his head before slowly realising that no one would be able to see. He tried to clear his throat as best he could, "No."

Rory sighed out in relief as he tried to look against the darkness, "Is everyone alright?"

The Doctor closed his eyes briefly, rubbing his index finger and thumb over the bridge of his nose in an attempt to keep himself awake, "Best to do a roll call," he mumbled.

"Well, I'm here." Amy said defiantly.

"Here too." Jack added.

"So am I." Mickey said.

Rory spoke last, "Here."

Amy glanced to her side where she was sure Rose had been standing before the lights had gone out, "Rose?" she asked through the darkness.

Rose hadn't been paying attention; she'd been too busy staring at her outstretched arms, "Oh… s-sorry. Here." She stuttered over her words causing Mickey to speak up, "Rose?"

Rose shook her head, though she knew no one could see, "It's just… I know the Bad Wolf is in me still… I can _feel _her." Rose shuddered, she didn't like owning up to it, but though she had been doing a good job of withholding the entity, she still felt incredibly weak; "But… I was _glowing, _I mean _she _was glowing, so shouldn't that mean-"

"-The Dream Lord's in control." The Doctor said, his voice devoid of emotion, "He can make anything happen. For all we know the lights of the TARDIS are still on and the darkness is just an illusion."

There was a moments silence as everyone considered this.

"Wait… Martha!" Mickey suddenly said, his mind sparking back to roll call, "She never said anything."

The Doctor's eyes opened in response. Even though his body was weak, his senses were still much more improved than the humans he had surrounded himself with. He could feel Martha's presence just as she had been before the lights had gone out. But she was silent, rigid.

"Martha?" The Doctor managed to rasp, "Are you with us?"

This was confirmed with a sudden ear-splitting scream.

"No! No! Get _back!_" As Martha screamed, the lights turned on once more, revealing the wide-eyed young woman in question. Martha had her arms outstretched in a defensive fashion, as if she expected at any moment to be attacked.

"Martha!" Mickey ran towards her on instinct, "Martha it's okay, you're fine!"

But Martha reacted as if she hadn't even heard Mickey, in fact suddenly she was directing her defences _against _her husband, "Get back you bastard!"

Mickey recoiled on instinct, "M-martha…?"

"_Don't _provoke her." The Doctor ordered calmly as he glanced, half-lidded to where Martha was stood in horror, "The Dream Lord has got to her, he'll get to you all if you don't-" the Doctor was cut off by another coughing fit. Amy and Rose moved at the same instant towards the Doctor, but Amy got there just a little faster. Rose stopped to watch as Amy expertly patted and rubbed the Doctor's back in a rhythm that seemed to calm his fit almost instantly. She couldn't help but smile. This girl was impressive.

"Don't what?" Jack asked once the Doctor looked as though he had recovered enough.

The Doctor looked to Jack tiredly, but carried on, "Don't give in. Always be aware of your surroundings, the Dream Lord can make you see _anything, _this is his world after all, but he can't kill you. Not yet. Not unless you give in."

"Oh, well done you old slob!"

Everyone stiffened as the Dream Lord appeared at the top of the staircase, leaning against the railings as he looked down at the console with a sick smile spread across his lips, "I might not be able to _kill _anyone just yet, but that doesn't mean I can't _influence _it."

The Dream Lord snapped his fingers and in a flash, Martha was standing in the same position as she was before, except now she was holding a gun, perfectly poised into the face of her husband.

Mickey raised his arms on instinct, "Martha, it's me, _Mickey, _your _husband!_"

"Husband?" Rose blurted out as she stared at the pair.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Rose, this is hardly the time to be jealous."

"I am _not _jealous!"

"Guys! Shouldn't we be focusing?" Rory called out.

"You can't reason with her, not like this, am I right?" The Doctor asked warily to his other half. The Dream Lord looked towards the Doctor in pure disgust, but still nodded rigidly, "Of course."

"Then what do we do?" Amy demanded.

"The only thing we _can _do." The Doctor said, looking warily to Mickey, Jack, Amy, Rory and then finally, to Rose. Rose didn't look as eager as she may have done the years ago when she had been the Doctor's companion. Now she was tired and clearly in pain, though she hid it well. The Bad Wolf was eating away inside her, though it couldn't _kill _her, being a weaker manifestation of the Dream Lord's doing… it could still damage her, and the Doctor _wouldn't _let that happen.

Ironically, Rose looked to the Doctor in the same way. He had neglected to mention why he was suffering in the first place and she _knew _that he knew, he just wasn't sharing. He was – if possible – paler than he had been before and was shaking with the simple effort of sitting upright. This wasn't going to work. _How _could this possibly work?

And yet that mad man still managed a smile as his eyes glinted to each of his companions, "Just like old times, eh?" He muttered as Amy nodded in understanding, taking his hand in hers.

He grinned in response; "_Run._"

And just like that, everyone did. It wasn't timed and definitely wasn't co-ordinated in the slightest, but everyone managed to find their way down the same main hallway where corridors upon corridors of both locked and wide opened doors came to their assistance. And as they ran, Martha kept screaming, still completely sure that she was facing off against one of the Doctor's most feared enemies. Mickey had tried to console her, tried to take her with him, but it only resulted in a warning shot being fired from the barrel of the gun. In complete distress, Mickey had to leave Martha as she ran from him, disappearing into the shadows.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked as she and Rory helped the Doctor keep a steady pace, keeping him as far _away _from the Dream Lord as possible.

The Doctor shrugged half-heartedly, "Not sure."

"Seriously?" Jack asked in despair, "Y'know, just once it'd be nice if you actually came up with a plan before-"

"Take a look around," the Doctor said bitterly. The Time Lord's tone was enough to keep Jack's eyes on him. Even though his hair clung unevenly over most of his eyes, Jack knew the Time Lord was giving him one Hell of a death glare from underneath. It almost made him grin. _Almost._

"The Dream Lord is in full control, these doors could lead _anywhere, _there is no limit to what he can make happen." The Doctor never raised his voice, in fact it was reasonably controlled for his condition, which made it all the more menacing; "_That _is why there is no plan, because nothing we do will make any difference."

Amy shook her head, "No, we beat him before, we can do it again."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that."

The Dream Lord was suddenly stood in the hallway, looking at his fingernails inconspicuously with a sly smile. He sighed and rubbed his knuckles against his tweed jacket, "Honestly, did you really think you could lose me by running down _one _hallway?"

"Why are you doing this?" Mickey demanded, stepping forward, "What do you want?"

The Dream Lord actually looked slightly taken aback. He smiled thickly and shrugged with the whole intentions of seeming innocent, "Why, to watch you suffer of course."

"But _why_?" Mickey demanded, now so close to the faceless being, that their noses were almost touching.

"Mickey don't-" Rose warned, but she was cut off by the Doctor.

"I'm the one you want to hurt, why don't you leave them out of it?"

The Dream Lord laughed aloud at this weak plea, "Oh _please, _you should know better than anyone." He raised his arms in a questioning gesture, placing a finger to his lips in mocked thought, "Hm, what's the best way to hurt the Doctor?" He winked darkly before continuing, "Hurting the ones he loves, of course!"

"But you're hurting him too!"

Everyone turned around to Rose who had been silent up until that moment. She was at the back of the group, leaning heavily against the walls of the TARDIS. She was tired, _too _tired to care about what this puny man had to say about anything. She wanted answers and she was willing to get them no matter what the cost.

"The Doctor may be unwilling to talk about this whole sickness thing, but we know better, don't we?" Rose – with a little force – pushed herself onto two slightly unsteady legs, "You're doing something to him, you _want _to hurt him. Physically."

The Dream Lord's smile turned from dark to almost light hearted at Roses' sudden outburst. He grinned widely, looking towards each of the Doctor's companions in turn. They all seemed to wear the same mask, understanding clouded by confusion. They agreed with Rose. Oh, what perfect idiots!

"You didn't tell them, did you?" The Dream Lord asked, looking towards the Doctor who was now leaning quite heavily against Amy and Rory. The Doctor gritted his teeth, but forced himself to look into the eyes of the darkness that lingered inside of him. Carefully, he shook his head.

"Hah!" the Dream Lord clapped his hands together as he spun on his heels, "Oh what fun!" He fizzled out, only to reappear directly in front of Rose who only barely remained standing with the shock. "You see, _Rose, _your precious Doctor isn't the man you kid yourself into believing he is." He turned to the rest of his companions, "That goes for all of you." He then reappeared back where he had started, looking at everyone expectantly, "You see, your Doctor has made a name for himself in all these years. He's a warrior, though he hates to admit it. The _oncoming storm._"

Rose shuddered at the use of _that _name. It reminded her of the times when she had seen the true danger in the Doctor's eyes. The irreversible rage that she feared would consume him. Each time, he had recovered though. Each time, he'd been strong.

"Your Doctor was tainted by the scars of war, the scars of losing people, of having to run from tragedies that he himself caused in the aftermath." The Dream Lord looked towards the Doctor, grabbing his chin and lifting his face up to meet his gaze. The Doctor's eyes were laced with exhaustion, but he didn't break eye contact. Not once.

"Those scars aren't always easy to hide." The Dream Lord carried on, letting go of the Doctor's face rather harshly, causing Amy to gasp out. "Take me for example."

"You're his darkness." Rory said quietly, thinking back to their first encounter.

_I thought it was obvious._

The Dream Lord snapped his fingers towards Rory, "Well done big nose, gold star!" He rolled his eyes before continuing, "What if your Time Lord was to get sick… just something small at first, a few germs in the system. But what if during this time, he'd also been going through an event that had brought on the _oncoming storm?_" The Dream Lord's smile faltered as he once again returned his gaze to the Doctor, "All that psychic energy building up with no output… except for me. The faceless fiend that had already showed themselves once in the past. It's much easier to get back out when a Time Lord's defences are down." The Dream Lord sighed heavily as he took in the blank expressions of the Doctor's companions. He believed that the message was received so with a nod, he lifted his arms in the air, "Well, enough chit chat, I almost forgot, the game's still going on and I do believe there's still a very fearful Martha Jones-_Smith _out there with a gun." He looked towards the Doctor knowingly, "Fear keeps you fast after all."

That made Amy shudder and Rory looked to her unsurely. She didn't look at him though; she was too absorbed in the words that the Dream Lord had spoken.

Back when the Doctor had been in bed… he'd _warned _her, he'd known why the Dream Lord was stronger.

_He's feeding off of me._

Now she understood. The Dream Lord was feeding off the Doctor's darkness. All those moments where he'd shown his anger had only made the Dream Lord stronger and the Doctor weaker. The Dream Lord was effectively making the Doctor sicker by draining him of all the scars of his past to use as fuel for his own sick games.

Amy looked to the Dream Lord with pure hatred in her eyes. She couldn't believe that this _thing _was a part of the Doctor in any way… but then again, everyone had their darkness and, like the Doctor had said so very long ago, he had a lot of it.

"What did you _do _to her?"

It took a moment for Amy to register what Mickey was talking about. Of course – Martha.

The Dream Lord laughed, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. At least she's armed against her hallucinations;" he grinned all knowingly to the other companions, "I couldn't say the same for the likes of you."

"I think I know where this is going." Jack said bitterly as he looked to the Doctor. The defeat in his eyes only backed up his theory. This wasn't _good, _but then again, Jack had both seen and done a Hell of a lot worse.

"Well… I think it's best to let you know that the next part of my little game involves a test, and you're _all _taking it." The Dream Lord laughed aloud and snapped his fingers; in an instant he was wearing an old styled teacher's cap.

"Well, as long as there's no algebra." Rose said sarcastically, which forced a few grim smiles around the group. The Dream Lord only grinned further, "No math." He conceded, "But I must warn you it's very hard to pass."

There was silence for a moment until Mickey bucked up the courage to speak, "Well?" he demanded, "Tell us this 'test' of yours."

"Oh, I'll let you work it out for yourselves," the Dream Lord said with a careless wave of his hand, "But first, let's divide the group up into teams, shall we?"

Before anyone could object, the deed was done. The Doctor almost toppled onto his side as Rory disappeared out from under his arm along with Jack, Mickey and Rose. This only left him with Amy who was struggling with the bulk of her raggedy man.

"Pass and I'll be lenient." The Dream Lord said, clasping his hands together as he moved closer to the Doctor, "Fail and I'll become more powerful than ever." He winked, "I think you know the outcome already." And with that, the Dream Lord vanished.

The Doctor groaned as he lifted himself up against the wall, letting his face fall into his hands as he coughed pitifully for a few short moments. His head was hammering, he couldn't _concentrate, _how in the Hell was he supposed to save everyone this time?

It took him a few moments to realise that Amy was talking to him.

"Doctor, Doctor?"

"Hn?" Was all he could manage as he looked blearily into Amy's wide emerald orbs.

"What did he mean by _more powerful, _how could he even get more powerful?"

The Doctor's hearts sank. Yes, he had said that hadn't he? He sighed and cleared his throat, forcing himself into a very unsteady standing position; "If he gets any more powerful than he already is…" the Doctor drew in a deep breath and took Amy's hand, looking at her sternly, "He'll be able to kill."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well, I haven't finished all my exams yet, but I finished the one I was crapping myself over, so with that stress elevated from my shoulders, I decided to cough up a chapter for those that demanded it.

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:**

Okay guys, I've had this idea for some time, but I've only just decided to write it down. Basically, I've written a pilot chapter for a story I'm hoping to write after I've finished this one. It's called **The Doctor's sort of Daughter **and it's basically involving Rose and 10.5 having a daughter who becomes unstable in their Universe and starts jumping from theirs to the Doctor's 'origional' Universe. Because of this, Universes will collide but I'm making it abundantly clear that this will NOT be a Rose/11 fiction. If you guys want to check out my pilot chapter, it is up now, I'd love to hear what you think about it and see whether it's worth continuing after I finish The Doctor's Battle. Thank you so much!

Once again I don't own Doctor Who, I hope you enjoy this chapter, this is the beginning of the 'test,' revealing a few very dark things about the fate of the Doctor for the failiure of his companions. ENJOY. x

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

Martha ran.

She didn't know where she was going and she really didn't care. She was only aware of one thing. The ever growing cackling of the manic Time Lord that had enslaved her entire family. His voice rang through her head like church bells; never pausing, never ending.

"You can't escape me, Martha Jones!"

Martha screamed in anger, turning around to fire two shots at nothing in particular. She didn't quite recall how she got the gun; she'd been in the console room and when the lights had gone up, she'd had it. And the Master had been there… waiting for her, laughing at her. She'd been too afraid to pull the trigger at first, but then he'd approached her, then he'd _touched _her. He grabbed her and tried to pull her away. In a mixture of fear and pure anguish she'd fired the gun for the first time, but had completely missed. After that she had run. And that was what she was _still _doing now, God knows how long after.

* * *

Jack sat up with a start.

One minute he'd been with everyone, face to face with the Dream Lord and the next…

Well, he was _here. _Wherever _here_ was…

Captain Jack Harkness frowned as he looked about himself. The room was one he didn't recognize, but considering the entire TARDIS had changed since the last time he'd been there, he didn't think that too strange. What he did find strange was the fact that the room was entirely empty. The walls and floors held the same template as the main console room, but it was entirely _bare. _No furniture, no pictures… no _door. _Just a blank space, like the TARDIS had forgotten it was even there.

Well, there was no use standing there like an idiot; the best thing to do was to find some way out.

Jack paced from one side of the room to the other, smoothing his hands against the walls strategically in search of some kind of door, perhaps a hidden panel. He came back to the centre of the room empty handed. Well, he'd found himself in rougher situations… but he'd usually _shared _those experiences with others. This time he was alone.

"My Jack, you've certainly had a long, strained life haven't you?"

Jack stiffened towards the Dream Lord's bored tone. He turned around only to see the man in question leaning against the wall with a dark smile on his face; "Do you remember the moment the Bad Wolf brought you back to life, Jack?"

Jack nodded rigidly, not knowing what to say. He could've said something light and humorous and maybe he might have if he hadn't then known what the creature in front of him was capable of.

_The Doctor's darkness._

Jack had seen the Doctor in three separate incarnations and in each one, he'd always held a darkness about him. No matter how cheeky or childish he aimed to be, there was always that shadow in the back of his eyes, that _age_ that seemed all too clear now Jack was far past one hundred himself. The Dream Lord was a dangerous opponent, perhaps the most dangerous he had ever faced. Maybe he wasn't able to kill yet… but he had a much stronger power to play with.

_The mind._

The Dream Lord pushed himself off against the wall and waltzed over to Jack, circling him mockingly as he whistled an alien tune, "How must it have felt, I wonder, to be faced with the Bad Wolf once more, just to be seen as inferior, a _mistake._" The Dream Lord spat out the last word, his eyes narrowing playfully as he crossed his arms behind his back. He paused directly in front of Jack, clicking his tongue against the back of his teeth.

Jack's stomach knotted as he recalled the event. The Bad Wolf had been so _close _to destroying him, yet he hadn't even flinched.

Maybe he would have if she had been the enemy, but to be completely honest, she wasn't. She was _Rose. _How could he have backed away from her?

"If you had successfully been destroyed, what then?" The Dream Lord shrugged to himself, "You see, one of the perks of being this faceless being is that I have the ability to get inside your heads, fish out your darkest fears and then use them against you." The Dream Lord leaned into Jack's ear, biting his lip before speaking in a sickly sweet tone; "Do you want to know what I saw in the Bad Wolf's head?"

Jack felt a wave of emotion claim him as he forced himself to stay upright.

The Dream Lord smiled, "She was going to kill you, Jack, but then what? What about the fates of Martha and Mickey?"

Jack fell to his knees as he cried out. Suddenly the empty room before him began to shift and change until he wasn't staring at the room any more, no, instead, he was back on the street, back in the heavy rain. Except this time he couldn't _feel _it.

This time, he was watching something new.

Martha screamed, Mickey held her in his arms as she wept, her body shaking with awful sobs. The Bad Wolf simply stood there, arm still outstretched as she looked down at the lifeless form that was Captain Jack Harkness.

"No!" Jack cried, taking a step forward only to be propelled back to where he originally stood.

Jack wasn't afraid of his death – no – that wasn't what the Dream Lord was using as fuel. Jack had always welcomed death with a warm embrace, what he was afraid of was dying for the last time, of dying amongst friends in mortal danger. If he died before he could save the ones he loved… there was no fear stronger within his soul.

The Bad Wolf's lifeless, cold eyes scanned the other two humans in front of her. For a long moment she simply stood there, but then she spoke with the voice of a God once more, _"You are weak."_

Martha had looked up from Mickey's arms, her expression as defeated as the way the Doctor had looked at him not minutes before hand. She'd given up.

But she couldn't.

She _wouldn't._

The Bad Wolf turned her extended hand towards the couple and slowly but surely, fisted her fingers together. In a cry of pain, Martha fell to the ground, writhing for a few precious moments as Mickey fell with her.

"Fight it!" He begged, "Martha, no!" he looked towards the thing, jumping up, ready for attack…

…Only to be brought down by the God moments later.

"NO!" Jack felt himself yell. Tears were falling down his cheeks wildly as he once again tried to run out to the scene. But he couldn't. Because he was already dead… lying there, lifeless.

The unnatural way the two gurgled as the last of their breath was taken from them was enough for anyone to give in.

However, Jack wasn't _anyone._

He'd seen his friends die before. He'd been with Ianto when they were gassed. He'd _died _with Ianto fully aware that he wouldn't be joining him in an eternal slumber. His death was uneasy and filled with more pain than any _suffocation_ could ever do to him. Jack knew how a person died; he _knew _so many that had. All of them had fought for life. He'd found it funny at the time, how people clung to life, especially when death seemed to be the ultimate release. But what Owen had said about the afterlife still plagued him, and perhaps ever since he had always felt a little more grateful for his ability.

But then there was Martha.

Owen had told Martha what he had seen.

_Nothing. _He had seen _nothing. _Just darkness and the ever growing presence of a being that couldn't be seen. If that was truly Martha lying dead in front of him, she wouldn't have looked so defeated.

Then the Dream Lord's words came back to him; _get into your head. _Jack frowned, blinking away the tears, _fish out your fears._

Of course! Oh, God! How could he have been so _thick? _The Dream Lord could only show you things from your deep subconscious, fears that were real to _you. _But in all of Jack's deepest fears, he'd always known better to ever consider his friends giving up, especially Martha Jones. So the Dream Lord had compensated. He'd used an expression that Jack had seen before. He used the Doctor's age-old eyes and placed them in Martha Jones. What a mistake to make.

"It's not real." Jack muttered to himself as he looked towards the space in front of him. He stood up defiantly as the images shifted and turned to static before reinforcing themselves. Jack had none of it, he repeated himself clearer this time, "It's not real!"

This time the image flickered so for a brief moment, Jack was faced with the empty room he had been in before the hallucinations had started.

"You better get your facts straight, Dream Lord!" Jack challenged as he looked into the darkening skies, raising his arms, "'Cause you made one big _whopping _mistake!"

And just like that, the hallucination vanished. Replaced with the Dream Lord still standing directly in front of him. However, he didn't look defeated. In fact, the very opposite.

"So I couldn't use _your _fears." The Dream Lord shrugged, unaffected, "No matter," he grinned towards Jack then and suddenly Jack felt as if he would have been safer trapped within his hallucination. "I can still use _hers." _

And just like that, the Dream Lord vanished.

And in his place stood Martha Jones, gun poised, a feral look in her eyes.

"Martha!" Jack barely choked out as his arms shot into a surrender position, "Martha, it's me, Jack… I'm not… I'm not."

But it didn't matter. In a scream of anguish, Martha pulled the trigger and a bullet was shot directly into Jack's chest, tearing into his flesh until it reached his heart. Jack let out a startled breath as he fell backwards and landed on the floor with a sickening _thud._

* * *

"What do you mean he'll be able to _kill?_"

The Doctor looked up to Amy Pond tiredly. He really didn't have the energy to waste explaining things in great detail, "It means exactly that." The Doctor said, rather bitterly as he leaned back against the TARDIS walls, "He wasn't able to kill before and now he _will._"

Amy didn't really care for the Doctor's tone and was about to snap back at him when he suddenly let out a groan of pain and held his head in his hands.

"Doctor?" Amy asked unsurely as she held out a hand towards him.

The Doctor shrank away from her touch as he cradled his head, "S-something's not right." He barely managed before a wave of nausea crippled him and he fell to his knees. Amy let out a small gasp and instantly knelt down next to him, hesitantly placing her hands against his shoulders.

The Doctor swallowed hard and began to breathe in and out as calmly as he could possibly manage, closing his eyes hard as his headache increased exponentially.

"Doctor, tell me, what's wrong?" Amy demanded, afraid to do anything more than talk. The Time Lord had turned an almost sickly green and been on the floor in an instant. She didn't know what to _do._

"Oh, is the Time Lord not feeling well?"

Amy looked up hatefully at the Dream Lord who had appeared above the two with a menacing smile, "What have you done to him?" She hissed as the Doctor let out another groan.

"Oh, this is just the first step, I'm afraid." The Dream Lord teased, "You see, the test your friends are taking isn't going so well, I've already had to fail one of them."

Amy's expression only darkened.

The Dream Lord smiled further, "When a student fails, I take their fears and use them to-"

"-Kill." Amy finished spitefully.

"My, my, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," the Dream Lord said, raising his hands, "I like to take my time, I'll need a full house of fears to get to that point, which I guess is lucky for your Doctor here, he'll have more time."

"What do you _mean?_" Amy all but begged, trying in vain to keep the tears at bay.

"When I absorb your fears, I grow stronger, but you must remember, I am still part of the Doctor's mind." The Dream Lord's eyes glinted as he carried on, "Think about how it must feel to have a part of you torn out and then times it by ten. I'm surprised your Time Lord is still conscious." The Dream Lord looked down his nose at the Doctor before turning away, "I'd make your time last, Miss Pond, Heaven only knows how much you have left."

And with that, he disappeared.

The Doctor was on all fours now, breathing through his teeth in a last ditch effort to remain conscious. This was just the first stage after all, he _had _to fight it. The pain was almost unbearable, inching its way through to the very core of his body like a slowly building fire. But _almost _was the key word here. The Doctor could still function and he wasn't going to give up until that ability was – too – disabled.

"Amy," the Doctor all but rasped as he tried desperately to lift his head.

"Yes?" Amy managed in a shaky voice. The Doctor felt his hearts tighten. She was crying.

"Amy, y-you've got to help me up."

Amy only knelt there, staring at him in disbelief. She blinked as if coming out of a day dream, "B-but… what the Dream Lord said…"

"_Forget _what he said!" The Doctor snapped, groaning out loud as the pain increased and his arms shook with the bulk of his own weight, "Everyone is in danger i-if y-you don't help me _up._"

Amy shook her head unsteadily as she closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath and slowly but surely, she slid her arms around the Doctor's shoulders and with all the care she could possibly give, she slowly pulled the Doctor upwards. Amy felt her stomach twist as the Doctor's breathing hitched with the effort of being moved, but he managed well enough, leaning an arm heavily against the TARDIS walls as soon as he caught his bearings.

"We need to f-figure this out," the Doctor spoke seemingly to himself as he stared down at the floor with all his concentration, "The Dream Lord's still in the TARDIS, which means everyone else must still be in th-_argh!_"

Amy was about to move to the Time Lord who was now clutching his chest when the Doctor raised his hand weakly to ward her away, "I'm fine." He managed as he breathed hard through his teeth, "J-just give me a second to catch my breath."

"Oh, you'll need more than time to just _catch your breath_."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh, so you haven't left yet, have you?"

The Dream Lord shrugged, "Just watching the show, we can't let you get too far can we?"

Amy frowned, "What do you-" but she was unable to finish as the Dream Lord snapped his fingers and in that instant, the atmosphere changed around Amy. The lights dimmed, but she was still able to see. See the green light that was crawling across the floor and up the walls. See the smoke that was rising from an unknown source.

_Hello Amy._

Amy froze.

That _voice. _That robotic, dark _voice. _Oh God… how could it be here?

_Now, Amy, give me a reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now._

"House." It was all Amy needed to say. The Doctor grabbed onto Amy's hand, forcing himself to ignore the pain that was consuming him.

"It's not real." The Doctor said, "Amy, it's not real, how can it be? The TARDIS destroyed House, _remember?_"

It did no good; Amy acted as if she couldn't hear him. She simply stared into the darkness that only she could see, her eyes filling with tears that refused to shed.

The Dream Lord began to chuckle again, "Well, that'll keep you busy while I resume the test."

The Doctor could only scowl in the Dream Lord's direction as he disappeared. He carried on tugging on Amy's arm, trying as hard as he could to coax her back into reality, but things kept swerving around him and with one final tug, the pain in his chest shot up his arm and crippled it. He sucked in a breath as he fell against the wall, sliding down to the ground in agony.

Briefly in the back of his head, he became aware of the TARDIS groaning in protest. She felt his pain, but she still pushed at his mind, urging him to fight this. He groaned in response as the pain shot into his head again, drowning out the TARDIS' pleas. "Sorry Dear," the Doctor muttered as he closed his eyes, "Not right now…"

* * *

"Oh my God, _Jack!_" Martha screamed as the gun fell out of her hand. The constant presence of the Master left her as soon as Jack's blood splattered against the floor. She had been so sure of herself when she had pulled the trigger… so sure it had been the Master.

But there was no mistaking it. The man she had shot was Captain Jack Harkness.

No hallucination was strong enough to stop Martha Jones from seeing the truth. She had just shot and killed one of her closest friends point blank in the chest with absolutely no remorse. All because of a dirty mind trick, something she'd promised herself she was _strong _enough to beat.

But he couldn't be dead; not really. Jack was an immortal, she'd seen him come back plenty of times.

So why _wasn't _he?

Martha took a step forward, only to stumble and fall to her knees. The shock was kicking in.

Great, and now she was _diagnosing _herself? She had to get to Jack, even though she felt numb all over, she had to get to him.

Surely he was usually at the point of healing by now?

Carefully, Martha pulled herself to her feet once more. Her mind was fuzzy; she couldn't exactly remember half of the hallucination that had overwhelmed her. All she knew was that this was exactly what the Dream Lord had wanted, she just couldn't figure out why. Surely if he wanted her to _shoot _someone, it wouldn't have been someone who was immortal.

With one baby step at a time, Martha managed to fall in front of Jack, but he wasn't how she had imagined. The wound in his chest showed no sign of healing and his skin was as white as a sheet. Blood was literally pumping from the wound and as she knelt down next to him, she could feel the sticky liquid coat the bottom of her jeans. She shook her head slowly, this couldn't be happening. Jack couldn't die. He couldn't, it was impossible, the Doctor had said so.

_You're an impossible thing, Jack._

"Well, yes, he is that and much, _much _more, but what if I were to disable this ability of his?" The Dream Lord appeared, kneeling next to Martha, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and breathed quietly into it, "This is my reality, remember?"

"No." Martha shook her head, back and forth, back and forth, _back and forth, _"He's not dead." Even as she said the words, she couldn't believe them. She'd seen her fair share of dead bodies before, and Jack was a prime example. He was dead.

"No!" Martha suddenly felt her hands pressing against Jack's chest; she shuddered as the warm blood ran over her fingers, but carried on. She pumped his chest over and over, pressing the bridge of his nose with her fingertips as she gently breathed into his mouth. He couldn't be dead. It was impossible. He couldn't be dead. He just…

She felt tears flowing down her cheeks as they dripped down onto her hands, mingling with the blood, "Oh God…" she said, her voice shaking, "Oh God, Oh God, Oh _God._"

Jack took a sharp intake of breath as life once more flooded into him. It had become almost second nature to feel his body reviving itself, but every time he still felt the ache of whatever had killed him. He groaned as he felt the slowly abating pain that claimed his chest.

"Jeez Martha, I know you were under the Dream Lord's spell, but the _heart? _A little cliché don't you think?" Jack fully expected Martha to slap him silly or maybe hug him out of pure exhaustion. Maybe she was still under the Dream Lord's spell and she'd just shoot him again.

He waited patiently for any form of rebuttal, but when none were forthcoming, he dared to open his eyes.

Martha was sat above him, pure fear in her eyes. "He's not dead." She said, staring right into Jack's concerned gaze.

Jack rose an eyebrow, feeling a strange wave of concern flood him, "Damn right I'm not dead." Jack said, but once more, there was no reaction from Martha. It was as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"I told her I'd suspended your ability to come back," The Dream Lord's voice suddenly came from his right where he was sitting expectantly next to Martha, looking from one to the other, "It's fun because she can't hear what I'm saying to you and vice versa."

Jack growled lowly with full intentions of getting up and punching the apparition square in the face. Instead, he didn't move. He _couldn't. _His body was locked in place.

The Dream Lord rolled his eyes, "You have to be stationary for the hallucination to work, death is a hard card to play."

"But you can't _kill. _You even said that to us!" Jack spat, "How stupid do you think she is?"

The Dream Lord smiled softly and poked Jack gently on the forehead, "I believe your friend was too busy defending herself from hallucinations to catch that memo."

"She's smart, she'll figure it out." Jack said defiantly, "Give her time."

"Sorry, it doesn't really matter anymore," The Dream Lord pulled a face as he scooted back from Jack's body, "She's already failed the test and I'm afraid if you don't pull yourself out of this, so will you." The Dream Lord looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "Think of the pain you're putting your precious _Doctor _through… in fact, I don't need to let you think, much too much hassle." The Dream Lord picked himself up and winked at Jack, "Tell you what, usually a Time Lord could only truly hear this… but considering I can do whatever I please, I'll let you listen in on how the TARDIS truly feels right now."

Jack was about to bite out a few truly nasty words about the Dream Lord when suddenly a painful high pitched shriek overwhelmed him. It sounded as if a dying animal had gotten itself caught inside a powerful machine and was _screaming. _Screaming for had to stop himself from crying out as the noise only strengthened.

_This _was how the TARDIS felt? How was it even possible? The Doctor couldn't have been _that _bad, anyone channelling that kind of pain to a living time machine shouldn't have been _alive._

Unless…

Jack's eyes widened in revelation. The Doctor… Oh God, what the Hell? _Failing _the test did _this _to him? What the Hell was the Dream Lord playing at?

"Martha, you have to fight this!" Jack begged as panic overcame him, "Martha!" He tried to scream over the noise, but it only intensified. Jack yelled out as Martha bent down over him and began to perform CPR.

"M-Martha!" Jack begged, tears in his eyes, "Y-You've gotta-" but his words were lost as Martha held his nose and began to breathe useless air into his lungs.


End file.
